Sworn Enemies
by JadeOrchid
Summary: Due to an incident, Sakura is saved by Syaoran, a cold-hearted n distant boy. As she melts his heart, what secrets will be revealed? And is their bond enough to save themselves.. and the world? s+s & e+t
1. Prologue

Hey everybody! This is my 2nd ff so im still a little new. Please don't criticize on my writing, it can b a lil bad. Well, enjoy! Oh, I wont b putting in any jap words. Its not that I don't know any, but its because. well. I just don't wanna bother, sorry.  
  
- I don't own CCS, or anything yadda yadda yadda. U all heard this b4 from all t writers. Its so annoying. This goes 4 ALL my chapters cuz I don't wanna hafta bother putting up this message again n again. @_@ so please don't sue me.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Prologue  
  
A man paced back and forth outside his bedroom, waiting. His face was stressed and haggard. Restless and anxious, he murmured to himself.  
  
"This is taking too long. We don't have that much time. We've got to leave now, before it's too late," he mumbled worriedly.  
  
Inside the bedroom, a woman screamed, as if in pain. Beads of sweat and perspiration were all over her face and neck. Her hair was loose and was also soaking with sweat. Her breath was short and labored. She screamed once more at a final attempt. The next minute an infant cried and she sighed, relieved and grateful. The midwife held in her arms a pink newborn, tenderly wrapped in a green silk blanket. The man came running in and saw the midwife handing the babe over to his mother. The second she held the tiny baby she forgot all her pain and smiled sweetly at the baby.  
  
"Congratulations, sir, you have a new healthy baby boy," the midwife said cheerfully to the man. He grinned proudly, his eyes shinning with delight. Three girls came running in excitedly, hoping they'd get a chance to hold their new baby brother.  
  
"Finally, we have a boy," he laughed, still grinning.  
  
"We have a brother?!" they all squealed.  
  
"What shall we name him?" Mother inquired, smiling.  
  
Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled under the full moon.  
  
"Ooh, how 'bout Syaoran?" one sister suggested. " Yes, Syaoran, Little Wolf, is a splendid name," Mother agreed.  
  
"Then Syaoran it shall be," Father laughed. "It suits him perfectly!"  
  
Another sister came running in, breathing hard. Her face showed fear and panic. Her cheeks were red and her eyes were wide, taking them all in.  
  
"There you are, come over and - '' Father begin.  
  
"The soldiers are coming!" she breathed. "They carry torches with them!"  
  
"What!" he growled, "How many are there?! And how far?!"  
  
"About 100 and they're less than several hundred feet away, riding fast. They'll soon reach us any minute now!"  
  
Suddenly his face looked like his daughter. He began thinking of a way they can escape unharmed. Thoughts raced through his mind, coming and going.  
  
"Damn this war!" he shouted. "My son can't even come into this world with peace!"  
  
They were in the middle of a horrible and tragic war that had already caused thousands of lives, a war that had turned men savage and hateful. There were dying everywhere; people couldn't even sleep without hearing the eerie moans of dying men out in the battlefield. Children had nightmares and cried out for their parents at night. Having a baby born in the midst of all this fighting and killing was truly a most joyous occasion.  
  
Their father is an important and famous general. He had led his army of a few thousand men into many battles, and came out victorious each time. An anonymous letter was sent to him the day before, warning him that the other side wanted to kill him, or at the very least capture him. The letter warned him to leave right away, but with his wife due any minute now, he couldn't leave and have his son born on the side of a road. Both sides knew all too well that his troops, possibly the best troops, would lose the heart to fight should something happen to their beloved brave and courageous general. They had always known, ever since the first time he went into battle. They were awe by his skill and bravery and his mastery of martial arts. Normally he would be surrounded by his troops, safe and protected, but he wanted to be there for his son's birth so he returned home. Of course, the king and his court objected but finally agreed to let him go, after he threatened to resign being general and assured them that he had four daughters who knew martial arts really well, him being the one who taught them, to guard him. He knew the arts of the four Shaolin animals - Tiger, Panther, Snake, and Crane. The arts were distributed among his four daughters; one knew the art of an animal. The king sent some men to go home with him, but he ditched them, wanting his family to have some peace and quiet and not being reminded of the war. He wanted things to go back to normal again, the way they were before the war. Now, almost everybody knew where he lived, him being so famous and all. So he took his family to their old abandon house, which everybody forgot existed, it being in the woods. But, unfortunately, not everyone had forgotten about it as he thought. Some still remember and the other side was able to wriggle it out of them with threats and bribery and torture.  
  
"You four take them to someplace safe and hide. Don't let anything happen to them. I'll hold them off for as long as I can," he ordered.  
  
"But, Father, I told you, there's about 100 of them! Even you can't fight them off! You'll get yourself killed!" the youngest daughter objected.  
  
"Since when do I have to tell you twice?!" he roared.  
  
"But." she persisted.  
  
"I said go! Now do as I said!" his eyes were bulging and the veins at his temple were popping out with anger at the soldiers and concern for his family.  
  
"Father, we can't -'' she started.  
  
"Quiet!" he whispered fiercely. "Listen, do you hear something?"  
  
Suddenly arrows came from all directions. The father-daughters team fought them off vigorously while the midwife, along with the mother and Syaoran, cowered near a corner, behind an upset table. Next some fire arrows came and set everything ablaze. The place soon filled with smoke. Their eyes started to water and they struggled to breath. The four sisters pulled their mother, brother, who was now wailing, and midwife out from behind the table and started carrying their mother and brother towards the back door. The midwife trailed behind them. Their mother fainted from all the smoke and heat, and the exhaustion of giving birth also contributed to her passing through. The four kicked open the door and ran outside to the fresh outdoors. The place was surrounded by trees. There were no owls hooting or crickets chirping or any animals making any noise. They had sensed the danger and hid. The night was dark and cool. The only light there was coming from the full moon and blazing fire. Otherwise, the night would be pitch-dark.  
  
"Father, let's go! Hurry!" they called.  
  
"No! It's me they want! I must distract them while you four take them to safety," he argued.  
  
"Father, you'll die!" they cried.  
  
The roof burned down, falling near the door, blocking his exit. The door soon caught on fire and they couldn't see anything inside.  
  
"No, Father!!!" they fell down crying.  
  
The next minute he came flying out from under the roof. Him spinning while flying had extinguished any flame on him. They face lit up with relief and they stopped their crying. Arrows came at him once more. He deflected and dodged as much as he could, but there were too many since they fired rounds after rounds of arrows. One pierced his leg, another his shoulder, several his stomach and arms, causing him to fall to the ground. He lay there, lifeless; his breath came in short, painful gasps. It seemed that the time had finally come for the beloved general. Another arrow pierced his heart, delivering the final deadly blow. The four faces that were shinning with relief and happiness, now again donned gloominess and terror. They could hardly believe that he, the master of martial arts, the undefeated general, had been annihilated. They were too stunned to speak and stood there, eyes wide and gaping. A soldier saw them and called to the commander. Then they started charging for them without his command. The four girls regained their senses and were now revengeful. They wanted nothing more than to kill all the soldiers and avenge his death. No longer afraid, they fought angrily and mercilessly, slaying all those who were in their way. As they fought, they eyed the commander hatefully. The general sat on his mustang nervously, getting more afraid as his men fell. What's worse, he didn't even order them to charge. Soon there were no more soldiers left standing and dead bodies everywhere. There was fire in the four girls' eyes, like the one burning their house, which is now diminishing. They drilled his face into the mind, promising they'd never forget it. The commander galloped towards their father, scooped up his body, and galloped away. The four stood watching the house burn to ashes then ran back to their mother and brother and midwife. When they reached them, they saw that the midwife was bleeding to death. There were arrows in her. They dropped down next to her.  
  
"W-what happened?!" they asked, shocked.  
  
"They tried to shoot at your mother and brother," she said weakly. "I tried to protect them. shield." she trailed off. Her body went limp. She was dead but her eyes were still open.  
  
"Grandma, Grandma!" they shook her. Biting back tears, the oldest closed her grandma's eyes. Right then and there, they vowed they would find the commander and kill him to avenge their father and grandmother, no matter where he was.  
  
"Well, it's no use standing here and moping," the oldest said sadly, "We best do as Father said and find somewhere safe to hide until this war blows over. C'mon, help me with Mother."  
  
Not far away, another baby was also borne, at the exact time Syaoran was, a baby girl. (A/N: guess who?!) She was a plump, pink baby, with fair skin. Her eyes were big and wet. Her family rejoiced, unaware of what had happened that night. Her father walked in, still in his armor, and held her up, pleased. "I'll name her after your favorite flower. Her name is Sakura, Cherry Blossom. Yes, that is a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he laughed. "Don't you agreed, darling? Honey?"  
  
Her mother lay still, not breathing. She had died giving birth. His laughter turned to sobs like his daughter.  
  
I'm 2 descriptive, huh? Sorry 4 describing those sad scenes. It won't be so sad anymore, promise. ( oh, n remember 2 review. I don't mind flames, as long as they're not so harsh. I have t next chap ready 2 post up, but I wanna heard from u ppl. Itll get more interesting, I promise. This is just t prologue. Anyway, review n tell me what u think. Thanks in advance. 


	2. Damsel in Distress

Hi again! Yes, next chap is up. I no, I no, not a very good title, but I was running low on sugar so I wasn't very imaginative. N I don't no if I should cont. w/ this story. I only got 1 review - from my friend. Thanx cherry tenshi.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"Damsel in Distress"  
  
18 years later.  
  
The war had ended a long time ago. Unfortunately, the other side won. The new king was lazy and careless and did not know how to govern his people, nor did he care to. There were crimes being committed and dangerous criminals loose everywhere. The corrupted government paid no attention to the people, just their gold and riches and their own needs. People were becoming poor with the outrageous taxes they had to pay. The poor and homeless wandered the streets. The poverty rate increased numerously. It was a critical time and money was extremely treasured. The rich no longer cared about the poor; they were too busy taking care of themselves. People staved and the death rate increased. It was dangerous to travel anywhere by yourself. Bandits and robbers were everywhere and ambushed lonely travelers.  
  
A group of people were passing through the woods. They were a small group, no more than 10 people or so. They looked like they've been traveling forever by the way they slumped in the saddles and the look in their drooping eyelids.  
  
"Daddy, how much farther? We've been riding since morning. The horses are getting tired, not to mention the guards. If we keep riding any longer they'll drop dead. Let's stop for the night, please?" a girl in her teens asked. Her face was blooming, full of youth. Her slick honey light-brown hair that used to touch her shoulders in her childhood, now reached down to her waist. It was divided into three sections, the top two tied up and braided. Her bangs covered her eyebrows. She had a tall, slender and graceful figure. Her beautiful green eyes, normally shinning with laughter, now wore a tired, saggy look from riding too long and she was saddle-sore like the rest. Despite that, she still looked pretty.  
  
Her father turned to her and sighed wearily, "I suppose you're right, like always, Sakura. I admit I've been pushing all of us too hard. I just want to reach your mother's grave in time. I can't believe eighteen years had already gone by since she died." He cupped his hands around her face. "And tomorrow's your birthday. and it's also the day your mother died. You know, you're beginning to look more and more like her everyday."  
  
At the mention of her mother's death, Sakura became silent, lost in her own sad thoughts. Fujitaka, her father, noticed and assured her, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forget it's a touchy subject for you. In fact, it's a touchy subject for me too. But, Sakura, you know it's not your fault your mother died." She just nodded and remained silent.  
  
"Isn't it? She died giving birth to me, didn't she? She would have never died if I hadn't been borne. Why couldn't she have survived so then daddy and Touya be happy?"  
  
"Touya, tell the guards to rest," Fujitaka said, interrupting her thoughts. Touya, Sakura's brother, nodded and rode towards the guards to tell them that they can finally rest, unpack, and get out provisions. The soldiers settled down for their much-needed rest. They were extremely grateful for Sakura, though they didn't show it, afraid that Fujitaka would think they were weak. Soon a campfire sprung up and they gathered around it. The exhausted horses strangely stood obediently still while their loads and saddle were taken off since they were too happy that they finally got to rest. They were heading for where Sakura's mother was buried. Fujitaka couldn't stand living at their old house since he was reminded of her everyday so he packed up and took Sakura and Touya far away from there. But they still came back and visit her grave every year, on the day she died, Sakura's birthday. They ate contently and silently, too tired to talk. The horses munched on some grass and lay down to sleep. The rest did the same after they finished eating and put out the fire. Slowly, everybody drifted off to sleep and pretty soon only Sakura was awake, busy thinking. She lay under the majestic starry sky and crescent milky white moon, looking up at them.  
  
"People said that when someone dies, they go into the heavens as stars," Sakura thought while looking at the brightest star. "Maybe Mother's up there." She smiled at the thought. Warmed by the idea that her mother was watching over her and never far away, she dozed off, with a smile on her cherry-red lips. That night she dreamed of a womanly presence next to her, watching her sleep peacefully. It felt so real that she jerked awake. Looking around, she saw that everyone was still asleep. She was not the only one awake; the horses were, too, their ears perked up and their eyes alert. They seemed to sense something, something unseen. Not far away, a twig snapped, and a shadow moved briskly, but her keen eyes caught the movement, which did not help her calm down. The horses sat up, tense and ready to spring at the first sign of danger. Then they heard some gravel crunch. Sakura's breath stopped short. The crunching stopped and all was still, too still. There were no merry tunes of the crickets' chirping. Nor was there any owls hooting. It seemed as if the world was put on hold. Sakura could hear her heart beating. She and the horses strained to listen for any signs of movement. No longer able to stand the silence, she walked quietly to her sleeping father and woke him up.  
  
"Huh? Is it morning yet?" he asked sleepily. "Oh, it's you. What are you doing up?''  
  
"Daddy," she whispered, "I heard something moving behind those trees."  
  
"It's probably just some nocturnal animal wandering around and looking for food. Go back to sleep. There's nothing to worry about."  
  
"But it didn't sound like any animal we've seen in these woods."  
  
"Alright, if it makes you feel any better, I'll go check. But if there's nothing there then will you let me go back to my sleep?"  
  
She nodded and pointed to the direction of the noise, "I think it's somewhere over there."  
  
Fujitaka walked to where she pointed, with her right on his heels, looking around. They checked the spot and found nothing. As they were about to turn back, a badger jumped out. It hissed at them. Sakura gave a start, then a sigh of relieve and felt foolish.  
  
"See, there's nothing there but a badger. Now will you please go back to sleep and not disturb mine's?"  
  
Sakura nodded happily and they turned back to the campsite. Suddenly two masked men jumped out from behind some trees and grabbed them, covering their mouth so they couldn't scream. They struggled to be free of the grasps holing them captive. Sakura, breathing hard form struggling, stomped her feet down hard on her captive's and jabbed him with her elbow in the ribs as hard as she could. The captive, in pain, released her from his grasp without noticing. He fell on his knees, holding his stomach and foot. He looked so funny Sakura stifled a laugh, well, she kind of did. She just giggled, though the laugh was more from triumph than him being in pain. Then she realized that Fujitaka still didn't manage to escape yet. She made a move to help him but from the look of his eyes and gesture she knew he wanted her to run away and tell the others. Reluctantly, she turned away and ran as fast as she could to the campsite. She tripped and fell but got back up right away, knowing how desperate the situation was, she ignored the bruises and pain shooting up her arm from her scratches on her hands and legs.  
  
"Everybody, wake up!" she yelled frantically at the top of her breath between breaths when she spotted the sleeping figures. Everyone sat up, reaching for their swords. The horses stood up and whined nervously.  
  
"Sakura, what is it?" Touya asked, concerned.  
  
"F.father.he's in trouble!" she gasped while trying to catch her breath.  
  
"What?! Where is he?!"  
  
Before she could tell him, some more men seemed to glide out of the shadows, all dressed in black. Their eyes and the hilt of their swords gleamed dangerously like the stars under the moonlight. Their faces were masked, only their eyes showed. They seized the unaware party and placed the deadly blades on their throats. It was so sharp you could see the shiny steel in the darkness of the night. A man dressed like the others snuck up behind Sakura, grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back in one smooth, circular motion. She whirled her head around and recognized the scar just above his left eye and gasped. She recalled seeing the scar on a wanted poster back home. He was the leader of a dangerous gang that formed after the war. They raided and looted villages. What's worst is that they always burned the village and took all the young women. The unfortunate ones who were taken were never seen again, or at least not alive. Fujitaka, led by his captor, staggered over to them, his mouth gagged and his hands tied behind his back with a thick rope. He looked pitiful. The captor pushed him in front of the leader. He stumbled and fell.  
  
"Daddy!" Sakura cried. Sakura tried to run to him. She yearned to take the gag out of his mouth and unbind him, but the leader had her in his strong grip. "Let me go!" she squirmed.  
  
"You've got spirit," he laughed. "Good, you'll need it."  
  
Sakura tried the jabbing technique again but he caught her elbow and tripped her, causing her to fall on her knees. Her eyes were brimming with hot, angry tears, both from humiliation and anger, mostly anger. Her anger flared up enough to stop her from crying. She wanted to lash out but restrained herself, fearing that they'd hurt Fujitaka or Touya or even the guards if she did. It took all her will power to stop herself.  
  
"Oh, no, girl, you're not going to try that again," he growled.  
  
Her eyes widened with fear. So it was the leader that she jabbed. That was not good. If he was bad enough when he was in a good mood, what would he do if he was agitated? She considered fighting him, but one look at everyone tied up she reconsidered. She'll escape some other time when she gets the chance.  
  
So, whatcha think? Please please please review and tell me. Pretty please? 4 me? I no it's going a little slow but this is only the 1st chap. So please bear with me. Oh, and any opinions or ideas on what's going to happen next are always welcome. 


	3. Little Wolf

Sorry 4 t delay but I have some trouble w/ my internet connection. I still do. ~_~ N I had 2 take care of my registration at school. -_- Took so long. Enjoy!  
  
Thanx all who reviewed -  
  
Charlene Cherry Tenshi Alice ???  
  
n even u 2 sarah. See u at school.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
"Little Wolf"  
  
Under the darkness of the night, the prisoners were forced to go on. Red- eyed and yawning, they dragged their feet wearily, while the gang got to ride horses. Eventually, the leader allowed them to rest, for only about ten minutes, but only because they might die from exhaustion and he wanted to capture as much as possible so he can get more ransom money. (A/N: does that even make sense???) Sakura sat back-to-back with Fujitaka. He took a small knife out from his sleeve and cut Sakura's ropes. Then he cut away his.  
  
"Daddy?" Sakura asked with a quizzical look.  
  
"Run away," he whispered. "Quickly, I'll distract them."  
  
"No, Daddy, I can't go and leave everyone!"  
  
"You're the one that's in danger, more than any of us, now go!"  
  
"I can't. I won't. I won't leave you and Touya!"  
  
"We'll be fine. Once we tell him we don't have any relatives to pay the ransom money, he'll let us go."  
  
"Daddy, I may be your little girl, but I'm not a child anymore. You can't lie to me. I know they'll kill you and Touya and everyone else once they get the ransom money. And if they don't, they'll torture you, but they won't let you die. You can't die even if you wanted to. It's their punishment for not receiving payment after they went through the trouble of capturing you. And besides, we do have relatives."  
  
"How do you know all this?"  
  
"I listen around."  
  
"Listen to me then! If you don't run away now, you'll never get another chance. We can escape later."  
  
"But. I don't want to leave you! Please."  
  
"Since when have you disobeyed me?! If you don't go now, I'll. I'll. I'll disown you!" (A/N: yea, yea, its stupid, I no)  
  
"Alright, I'll go. I know you'll never disown me, you're just worried. But. I'll come back for you, I promise."  
  
"Hey! Quiet down over there!" a member of the gang shouted, making his way towards them.  
  
"Hurry! Keep running and don't stop until you lose them!"  
  
Lips trembling, she nodded and took off, after taking one last look back. She heard some shouting then saw the leader running after her and then heard a horse galloping. Frightened, she ran blindly as fast as she could. Without turning back, she knew he was still hot on her trail, and riding hard. Luckily for her, he rode too fast and the horse died of exhaustion when he was just three feet away. He fell down hard, using his hands to cushion the fall. Bruised and grumbling, he stood up and looked at Sakura getting away. He angrily kicked the dead mare and ran after her, slower than normal because of his bruises. Sakura got more and more tired by the second. Within a few minutes, he caught up to her.  
  
A couple feet away, a teenage boy laid high up in a tree, between two branches, looking admiringly up at the stars. He often did this every night. And since tomorrow was his birthday, (A/N: hint hint ^-^) he knew he couldn't sleep under the stars since he was sure his mom and sisters would want to spend some time with him. He heard some people running. One sounded frightened by the sound of the feet running, as if whoever that person was wanted to get away from whoever was chasing him/her. He stood up on the branches, and saw indeed two figures running. One was a girl, a "damsel in distress". Her face looked scared and tired. The other a man, angry and weary of chasing her. He could tell she could not run any longer and would be in trouble when the man catches her, so he decided to help out. He jumped down from the tree smoothly, in one swift motion. From behind, he drop-kicked the leader quickly an easily. His kicked landed on the head. The impact from the hard blow knocked him out instantaneously, without him knowing what hit him.  
  
Sakura used up all of what was left of her energy and was too tired to go on. Her knees gave away and she fell down. Sitting there, she recalled all that had happened. She thought of her dad and brother and all the pain and humiliation he had caused her. Her anger boiled up and hot angry tears streamed down her cheeks. Her teeth and hands were clenched tight, her knuckles white and shaking with fury. Slowly she took out a small knife, the blade no longer than her forefinger. The anger boiling up inside her seemed to give her new strength. No longer conscious of her weariness, she turned around and ran towards whom she thought was the leader, the knife in her hand held up, aimed at his heart. The tears blinded her and she couldn't clearly see who it actually was. He dodged and barely got away. She attempted to strike him again and they begin fighting. (Sakura had learned a little bit of martial arts from Fujitaka.) But alas he exceeded her and managed to hold her in an arm lock. Sakura, still not knowing who e is, struggled to break free. Getting tired of her, he picked her up as if she was as light as a feather, all the while her kicking and screaming, and threw her in a pond nearby. The shock of the numbing cold water almost knocked her senseless. She struggled to stay afloat and gasped for air.  
  
"Why'd you do that for?!" she demanded angrily, still gasping. Finally she got a good look at him and gave a start. He was not who she expected to see. She couldn't see him clearly under all the darkness, with the moon providing a little light. But she could tell that he had short dark hair, ruffled from the fight. or was it always like that? She glimpsed behind him and saw a laying figure - the leader. He was still breathing so she knew he was still very much alive. She felt somewhat disappointed with that knowledge. "I. uh. I'm sorry. I just thought you were him.heh.ahem.sorry, again." By now her face was crimson.  
  
"So you'd cool down and feel refreshed," he replied in a cold tone.  
  
"What? Oh, thanks. I think." she flushed, "Um. well. could you help me out of here, please?"  
  
He gave an agitated sigh and held out a hand. She took it and gave a hard pull, dragging him down into the water with her. It was so fast and unexpected he didn't have time to react.  
  
"Are you crazy?! Why'd you pull me down here for?!" he practically screamed. He seemed surprised at his outburst and regained his calmness once again.  
  
"Same reason you threw me down here," she giggled.  
  
He gave a growl and got out of the pond, her following after him. Now they were both dripping wet, with no spare clothes to change into. Sakura trailed behind him timidly, her shoes making soft squishy noises with each step she took.  
  
"I wonder if he's mad at me, not that he doesn't have any reason to. I mean, I did try to kill him. and dragged him into the pond. Why did I do that for? But I wish he would stop looking like that. Does he always look like that?" she thought wonderingly while walking behind him. "Oh, I forgot to ask you, what's your name?"  
  
"Li, Syaoran Li," he replied coldly, as cold as they were right now.  
  
Syaoran's here! So whatcha think bout t story so far? Good, bad? Please review, I really wanna no. I no t chap is short, like t others, n its going a lil slow, but please b patient, these r just t beginning chaps. N I will try 2 make t chaps longer. Oh, I no I have long paragraphs but I just cant help it. Remember, ideas n flames r welcomed, well, maybe not welcomed 4 flames. Lets just say theyre accepted. Till next time! ~-^ 


	4. Escape

Well im gonna try 2 make this chap longer. Hope ya like it. Oh n I had some trouble or sumthing so my shoutout came out wrong. I wanna do this again.  
  
Thanx all who reviewed -  
  
Charlene Cherry Tenshi Alice ???  
  
n even u 2 sarah. See u at school.  
  
N I forgot 2 answer ur ? earlier alice, sorry. Um. t side syaoran's dad is on lost. I did say his troops were t best. N they would lose t heart 2 fight if sumthing happened 2 him. I no I wasn't really clear on which side lost. Sorry 4 any confusion I caused. Thanx 4 ur support every1. u ppl make me so happy. :_)  
  
Thanx 2 all who reviewed t last chap -  
  
Moon Star Goddess Geneveive Sorrow starjade - ill try 2 take ur advice.  
  
Chapter 3  
  
"Escape"  
  
"My name's Sakura Kinomoto. Thank-you for helping me."  
  
"I didn't ask," Syaoran told her rudely.  
  
"If you're mad about me trying to kill you, then I'm really sorry, though I've said it twice before. But if you're angry I got you soaked, then I've got nothing to say. After all, you did throw me in first."  
  
He gave her a cold glare, cold as the water. She shivered, partly from his glare, and partly from the water that was now seeping into her. Then he began picking up dead small branches and twigs. Sakura stood watching him wonderingly.  
  
"May I ask what you're doing?" she inquired.  
  
"What do you think? I'm getting wood to start a fire so we'd warm up." Syaoran said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Can I help?" she offered.  
  
"I don't need your help."  
  
"Why am I being so mean to her?" he pondered, "I'm not mad at her or anything. am I? I can't blame her for trying to kill me. She was scared and out of her wits. And I don't mind getting wet, I'm used to it. In fact, I can use a little cooling down (A/N: a little???) after that fight. Is it because I'm mad at myself for being caught unexpectedly by her and she was able to pull me down? Well if I am I shouldn't take it out on her."  
  
Sakura was starting to get agitated. "Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? He's so rude. I said I was sorry. I even sounded like a broken record apologizing to him. He's got no reason to stay mad." Nevertheless, she remained quiet and helped him gather wood anyways.  
  
He saw her out of the corner of his eye but pretended not to notice. Pretty soon, he got the fire started and they sat down next to it to warm up, on the opposite ends of the fire, facing each other. Sakura was wringing the water out of her hair and clothes. The night was cold, and that did not help them stay warm. Sakura edged closer to the fire. If she was any closer, her hair would be burning. Close as she was, she was still shivering. She glanced over at Syaoran and saw that he showed no visible signs of being cold whatsoever. He sat perfectly still, tense, as if expecting something to happen, not even shivering one bit. It was as if he had forgotten he had been drenched and didn't even notice. She stared at him quizzically, while at the same time pretending to look elsewhere.  
  
"What do you want?" Syaoran inquired without even glancing at her direction.  
  
"M-me? N-n-nothing," she answered, her teeth chattering.  
  
"Then why are you staring at me?"  
  
"H-h-how did you. n-never m-mind." she trailed off.  
  
"I've trained vigorously everyday, mentally as well as physically. So if you think I don't notice you staring at me, you're dead wrong. In fact, even a beginner can notice hundreds of feet away. Now clamp your teeth shut and get to the point."  
  
"H-how - how can you stand the cold? It's like swimming in ice. Yet you're not even shaking just a little." She was trying really hard to keep from chattering. Her jaws ached from the effort.  
  
"Swimming in that is part of my training."  
  
"You swim; actually swim, in that everyday?"  
  
He gave a slight nod. Thinking about having to swim in that freezing water chilled her to the bones. or maybe in was the water.  
  
"I meant it when I said I threw you down there so you could down." His lips twitched and his eyes twinkled with amusement, which was really rare, but Sakura didn't notice.  
  
"Why do you train so hard?" she asked curiously.  
  
His dark eyes suddenly turned cold and distant. There seemed to be some hatred in them. Sakura decided to drop the subject.  
  
"Umm. so what are we going to do about him?" she nodded towards the leader.  
  
"Nothing," he replied, the anger in his eyes gone, replaced by his usual calmness.  
  
"What?! Why?!" she inquired sharply, shocked.  
  
"Because we can't."  
  
"What do you mean we can't?!"  
  
"Just look at where he's laying."  
  
She twirled her head briskly, her damp hair whipping her face and sticking to face but she was too distracted to care.  
  
"Wh-where is he?" she breathed, confused.  
  
"He ran away after he regained consciousness."  
  
"You knew and didn't bother stopping him?!"  
  
"Hey, I have nothing against him. It's not my fault you fail to notice things."  
  
"Well pardon me for not being obsessed with training like you are Mr.- I-Know-Martial-Arts-And-You-Don't-So-I-Don't-Have-To-Be-Nice-You," she stopped short, realizing what she had just said. Embarrassed, she said meekly, "I-I apologize. It's just that I'm so tired and frustrated with everything that's been going on. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have taken it out on you like that."  
  
He just started at her unblinkingly, not the least surprised. His calm composure was unruffled. Nothing seemed to surprise him. He looked at her quizzical intense emerald eyes, eyes that were glimmering with embarrassment, eyes that shone in the dark. Her wet hair combed around her innocent face that was flushing.  
  
Sakura looked at his chestnut hair and amber eyes, flickering by the fire. Those eyes seemed to draw you in and bore into you, reading your every thought and secrets. His rigid face with sharp angels was drawn into a tight and serious appearance, how it typically looked most of the time. "That's what years of training probably does to you, turn your features into stone, inside and out," she thought. She couldn't bear his dark brown penetrating eyes and longer and looked away, at her surroundings. For the first time Sakura finally noticed how dark her surroundings were. She felt a little frightened and a chill ran down her back, this time not from the cold or the wetness of her clothes, which were now a little damp. It wasn't that she was afraid of the dark, more like the things in it. At night spooky shadows seemed to appear everywhere. Things lurked in them, hidden things that seemed to be ready to strike out at any moment. Things like ghosts for instant. At the thought of ghosts Sakura whimpered slightly, the hair on her body stood up, and she was starting to get goose bumps.  
  
"Why are you whimpering like a dog for?" Syaoran asked suddenly.  
  
Sakura faced him, her cherry lips trembling. "I. I."  
  
"Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark?" he asked knowingly.  
  
"No." she answered in a tiny voice, "Just the things in it."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
She hesitated, then, with her head down, answered meekly, "Ghosts." She braced herself, ready for a laugh. But the expected laugh never came. Surprised, she looked up. "Why aren't you laughing?" she asked rather stupidly. (A/N: not that shes stupid, just dense)  
  
"What's there to laugh at?"  
  
"You mean. you don't find it amusing, me being afraid of ghosts, like everyone else?"  
  
He shook his head slightly. "Everyone's got to be afraid of something."  
  
She smiled gratefully, comforted by what he said. "Umm. I was wondering, what were you doing out here in the middle of the night?"  
  
Syaoran's eyes had that distant look again. "That's none of your business."  
  
Sakura recoiled, as if slapped. Looking at the ground, she decided to never speak of that subject again. She yawned, and then remembered she hadn't much sleep and was walking half the night. It began to get a little warm so she moved away from the fire and settled on the ground next to a fallen tree. Her eyelids grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep. *~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Fujitaka woke up with a groan. His head hurt and it seemed as if there were drums pounding inside. He was tied up once again, except with more ropes and more secure this time. At a glance, he saw that dawn was approaching and the guards keeping watch had fell asleep. Memories came flooding back to him. He remembered Sakura running and being chased by him while he distracted the other members of the gang. What did they call themselves again? Oh yes, the Black Fox. (A/N: sorry, Im not good at making up names. or titles either if you've been noticing.) Touya was wide- eyed and shouting. The next instant he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head then all was black. "Sakura," he said softly, "please be alright." He began thinking of a way to escape. Looking around, he saw a boulder with jagged edges. He slowly crawled over and leaned against it. Then he began rubbing the ropes against it. The ropes snapped away in no time, it being so old and brittle. Rubbing his hands, which had scratches on them, he noticed Touya and the rest were still sleeping. He unbounded his legs and stood up wobbly, stretching. Silently, he crept over to them and untied Touya, waking him up.  
  
"Father?" Touya asked drowsily.  
  
"Shh." Fujitaka nudged him and gestured at his own guards.  
  
Touya nodded, understanding. Then they undid the ropes as the seven guards woke up, one by one. Afterwards, using the ropes, they then tied up the criminals and gagged them. (there were only 10 or so. T rest was at the hideout.) Then gang woke up surprised, then surprise turned to anger, then nervousness once they saw Fujitaka and the rest had regained they're weapons. *~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Sakura rubbed her eyes, yawning and stretching, and woke up to the morning. All was still, even the birds were not awake yet, hence the missing sound of the birds merry singing. The fire had died out, leaving ashes as remains. Syaoran was nowhere to be seen, so she figured he had woken up earlier and had gone somewhere, perhaps for a morning swim. She shivered and rubbed her arms briskly at the thought. Nearby some dead leaves on the ground rustled, catching her attention. She turned to the direction of the noise, expecting to see an animal, a squirrel perhaps, looking for breakfast. She gave a start when she saw two figures emerging from behind the trees. They came into the clearing, where they could be seen clearly, and she gasped. It was Fujitaka and Touya, grinning broadly. Her keen eyes caught more movement behind them. He was dressed on black and had his face covered. She gasped again as she recognized the figure. It was the leader. He had a sword in his hands and began rising it slowly. Fujitaka and Touya gave her a puzzled look, wondering why she looked so terrified. Sakura, wide-eyed with terror, cried out, "Daddy, Touya, look out! Behind you!" The sword came down swiftly as they quickly spun around.  
  
"No!!!" She shrieked, her arms outstretched.  
  
Ooh, cliffhanger! Hehe, I left ya at a cliffy! Don't u just hate me? ^-^ well at least t chap is longer. So whatcha think, should I kill them off this early in t story? Or should I give them mercy n let them live? But im not that mean enough 2 kill them. am i? well now u hafta read t next chap 2 find out. N in order 4 me 2 put up t next chap, ur gonna hafta review. If ya don't, then adios 2 t story. Haha, jk. Im having 2 much fun w/ this. But seriously, please review. Bye! ^-^ 


	5. The Vain Search

If u don't remember what happened earlier in t prev chap, then I recommend u read t last par again. U no, t 1 rite after t scene change. I think this chap is where things will start 2 get interesting. I hope. I promise itll get more interest soon, even if this chap isn't. I just needa get some things outa t way 1st. Ill stop now 2 let u read. O, n thanx 4 reviewing! ^- ^  
  
KittyX-ur welcome! Dragon*Gurl-thanx kawaiiteddybear-ur welcome n thanx! Sunnie Anderson-whoa that was a longggggg review. N I think ur storys good.  
  
???-don't hate me. :_( u really read a lota fics! Cherry Tenshi-im not evil like sar. N thanx very much. LicyBabe2002- lol. Y does every1 say im evil? sweetcherry-im not cruel either. If I was id make t story a lot sadder.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"The Vain Search"  
  
Sakura jerked up, awake from her slumber. She was breathing hard, her heart beating violently. She quickly scanned around for Fujitaka and Touya, but saw no signs of them. The scenery was the same, but there wasn't a trace of them. She felt hot, but no sweat was coming out.  
  
"Huh? It was just a dream?" she thought aloud, "But it felt so real. Then. I guess that means that Daddy and Touya didn't get murder by him. I should be thankful for that. I think. But are they any better off captured?" (A/N: haha, I tricked ya! ^u^ N u thought I was gonna kill em off. Cmon im not that mean. N besides, I need em in order 2 cont my story. Please don't hate me.) Tears started forming in pools of emerald eyes. She blinked fiercely, trying not to cry. She can't afford to lose control now, she had to rescue them. Then she noticed Syaoran wasn't sleeping anymore. He was, from the looks of it, meditating. "Probably some more of his mental training," she thought wryly. She felt cold inside and hugged herself, her knees under her chin. "That's funny; a minute ago I was really hot." She swayed a little, feeling dizzy. By now, she was shivering again. But not from the wind or water - she was dried, her clothes wrinkled and muddy - but from inside her. Her nose itched as liquid started to slide down. She sniffed; she was having a runny nose. Her nose was red and puffy, as were her eyes. She felt as miserable as she looked. Her thoughts strayed to Fujitaka and Touya. Gasping, she remembered something. "Li!" she exclaimed, jerking him out of his meditation.  
  
"What?" he asked irritably, his voice harboring little patience.  
  
"I. uh. I need to visit my mom's grave. Can you. um. come with me? Please?"  
  
He sighed wearily, "Can't you go by yourself?"  
  
"No," she said gloomily, "I. don't know these woods as well as you do. I might get lost."  
  
"Then how do you expect to find your mom's grave?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
He sighed, exasperated, "Then what's the point?"  
  
"I was going to walk around and search. I know where it is - my family visits it every year. But being captured threw me off course."  
  
The thin thread connecting him to his patience snapped, as he did, "Do you know how dumb that sounds?! (A/N: meanie) You can't just walk around and expect to find it?!"  
  
Sakura didn't respond. After awhile, (A/N: which is like 5 min) when he calmed down, he finally looked at her. She was still sitting on the ground, hugging herself, her knees under her chin. Her head was down, she was staring at the ground, shivering. A tear slowly trickled down her cheek, then dripped to the ground and splattered after leaving its wet trail behind. He felt a pang of guilt for yelling at her and regretted it. After all, she was just an unfortunate girl. But he was always groggy in the morning, especially if someone interrupted his meditation.  
  
"Fine. I'll go with you."  
  
"Really?" she cried happily, wiping her tears away. "That's great!" she exclaimed. Impulsively she jumped up and hugged him. Syaoran didn't know how to respond. He had never been hugged by a girl before. well. except his mom and sisters, but they don't count. His face was all different shades of red. Realizing what she was doing, Sakura quickly let go of him, her face the color of a ripe apple. Maybe it was because she stood - or rather jumped - up too fast, or maybe it was because she was embarrassed, but either way she felt very nauseous. She felt very hot once more, but like before, there was no sweat. *~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Well, Father, what shall we do with them now?" Touya asked, looking down at the pathetic criminals, who were now begging and groveling even though their mouth was gagged.  
  
"I guess we should take them back with us and turn them into the Palace Guards. Let them deal with these lowlifes. We don't have time to be taking care of them. And we'll get some bonus money once we turn them in. Then we can give some of the money to the less fortunate then us since no one of high rank really cares about them anymore except for us. You know everyone needs that nowadays." Fujitaka stated.  
  
"You guys heard him. Now get the horses ready," Touya ordered the seven guards.  
  
"We'll go visit your mother's grave first," said Fujitaka. He did not want to say her name because it hurts him too much to be reminded of her.  
  
Touya nodded and started walking towards the horses. The criminals were tied to the horses, so they won't be able to get away. Touya swung on easily into the saddle, as did Fujitaka. They led the way and kept a steady pace, but not too slow so that the criminals had to jog to keep up. Unlike Sakura, they did not have to wander around and search, for Fujitaka and Touya lived here for a long time, and Touya was old enough to remember his way around the woods, especially since he often went exploring during his free time in his childhood. *~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Sakura walked around the woods looking for familiar scenes she'd seen while visiting her mother's grave each year, sometimes taking a guess or following her instinct. Syaoran grudgingly followed behind her, his arms crossed and his face tight.  
  
"This is useless," he stated after awhile, sitting down on the ground, his back leaning against a tree. (A/N: very encouraging, huh?)  
  
Sakura sighed discouragingly, her shoulders slumped. She sat down next to him. "Well we have to keep trying. I know we'll find it sooner or later. And Fujitaka and Touya will be there waiting there for me when they escape," she said with a determined look in her eyes. Then, with a smaller voice she added, "If they ever escape." Her eyes started to water and she blinked fiercely. Syaoran heard her and noticed the tears forming and actually started feeling a little sorry for her. (A/N: just a lil bit)  
  
"But we'll never find it like this," he acknowledged.  
  
"Yes we will. I know we will. We have to."  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
"Look, I know I asked you to come with me. But if you're so reluctant then why did you agree to in the first place?"  
  
"Um. well." He couldn't reply. "Yea, why did I agree to?" he asked himself.  
  
"Well I guess we should resume our search if we want to find it before nightfall."  
  
He was grateful she decided not to ask for his answer. He had none to give her. Then he saw little things crawling next to her. "Um. Kinomoto?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"You're sitting next to an anthill."  
  
"What?!" she shrieked and jumped up as if she was sitting on something hot. She started jumping around and beating them off like crazy. She looked so funny Syaoran almost laughed. almost. He just smirked. A minute later, once she was sure she had gotten all of them off, she stopped jumping and stood there slumped, her hands on her bended knees, breathing hard. Her cheeks were red and she swayed a little, feeling very weak and dizzy. Then everything went black. She was about to collapse when Syaoran swiftly caught her. She had fainted.  
  
Ooh, suspense! Sorry I stopped it here but I was tired and wanted to stop. I just came bac from tennis practice so now I think I need a lil nap. I no this chap is very short. I think its my shortest one yet, but this seemed like a good place to stop it. Please don't get mad at me. I promise ill update in 3 or 4 days, if I can. U no t drill. Read n then review. N I mean it. I don't have alotta reviews, n it makes me so sad. *sniffs* If I don't get more reviews I think ill stop t story, or just delete it since not alotta ppl seem interested. *yawns* well, enough talking. Ill take my nap now. See ya! 


	6. Guilt

Hey again! Well I posted it up so u ppl should b happy. Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! I hate school! Well, actually I don't hate school but I HATE my schedule! Stupid schedule. Waaaaaaaaa. Y me? I found out that they don't allow me 2 put in italics. Yea, I no, what took me so long. So ill just put '' for thinking. Does that make it less confusing? Somehow when I upload it t format always change n gets ruined. Arghhhh. I just noticed that. So it's a lil hard 2 read my shoutouts. -_-. Some1 plz HELP!!! Cherry Tenshi, HELP ME!!! O, n I no I said u ppl say im cruel n mean in t last chap. But I don't mean it. I was jk. Lol. Sorry if I made any of u feel bad. I actually don't mind, really. I find it rather funny. So u can call me evil or mean or cruel as much as u want. (but not 2 much! ^-^ then it gets boring.)  
  
SilverAngel- ur very welcome. Sunnie Anderson- I don't mind if u leave long reviews. I actually enjoy reading them. ^-^ so ur reviews can b as long as u want it. Actually, t longer t better! Lol. Cherry Tenshi- im not gonna stop riting. That would b mean 2 t ppl who DO leave a review. Im me k? SakuraAngel0320- thanx 4 ur review. It really encourages me 2 rite. Sweetcherry- u don't hafta apologize. I no it's a figure of speech. Im not offened, really, I was just kidding. Don't take me so serious. Black Tiger- thanx 4 t review. Final Fantasy Princess- thanx n ur welcome. Yes, there will b s+s soon. A lil at 1st n as t story goes on there will b alotta s+s.  
  
Chapter 5  
  
"Guilt"  
  
Syaoran looked down at the unconscious figure in his arms. Sakura had a ragged breathing. "I didn't think she'd be so scared of ants that she'd freak out and faint like that," he smirked. "And she didn't even have any ants on her. I wonder how she'd react if I told her there was a ghost behind her." A slight breeze blew by, ruffling their hair. He noticed how beautiful and innocent she looked with her hair combed around her face, her eyes closed with their long thick lashes, her cherry-red lips slightly parted, her cheeks pink. He shook himself to get rid of the weird feeling that was coming over him. He wondered why she had such difficulty breathing and felt her forehead. She was burning up. "So," he observed, "she's having a fever. No wonder she fainted. What a weakling, she can't even stand the coldness of the water." He settled her down on the ground, her leaning against a tree. (A/N: not next to the anthill. ^-^) Then he turned around and started to walk away. 'Well, I guess there's no reason for me to stay with her anymore. She's not awake to make me feel sorry for her whenever I'm about to leave.' When he got about a hundred feet away, he hesitated and then stopped. 'But. it's kind of sad to just leave her here. (A/N: hey, he's cold and distant, not cruel, like some of u ppl say I m. lol. Jk.) Something might happen to her and she won't be able to defend herself unconscious. Besides, that guy is still roaming around here. Not that I care if anything happened to her, of course, but that would be mean and I'd have to carry all that guilt around for the rest of my life should something happen to her. Curse her!' He sighed angrily and turned around, looking at the sleeping Sakura. 'Dammit! (A/N: sorry for t profanity.) How does she always do that?! How is she always able to make me feel guilty?! She's even able to do it when she's out cold!' He began walking sulkily back towards her. He jerked her up roughly and swung her onto his back, her arms resting atop his shoulders. (A/N: like a piggyback ride! ^- ^) *~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
By nightfall Fujitaka and the rest reached Nadeshiko's (A/N: is that how u spell it???) grave. Fujitaka was grumpy and snapped at everyone who tried to talk to him because they had taken so long. So the group was really quiet, no one wanted him to bite their head off. And they were angry that Fujitaka was angry with them when they didn't do anything. So they took it out on the criminals since they had to slow the horses down to a slow trot or else drag the criminals along because they couldn't walk alongside the horses at the pace they were going anymore. They were too exhausted. (A/N: does that make any sense at all???)  
  
Fujitaka's eyes lit up when he saw their old house, now in shambles. The doors were loose and barely hanging on and there were cracks and hole everywhere due to termites. The house was covered in cobwebs and thick layers of dust from long years of neglect and abandonment. The dry brown grass and weeds was a mile high (A/N: ok so I exaggerate). It looked kind of like a meadow. The thick vines covering the house looked like it was about to break it, and it eventually would too. (A/N: if ur having a hard time picturing it w/ all t details im giving u - though I can hardly imagine y- then just imagine a haunted house. Like t 1 in t movie Rose Red, by Steven King, but make t house smaller. Btw, that was a great movie, really scary.) He hoped to find Sakura there, perhaps curled up, fast asleep. Everyone hoped so too, so he would stop being so uptight and be his old cheerful self again, especially the criminals. They were beginning to regret capturing them in the first place.  
  
"Touya," said Fujitaka, "let them rest in front of the house. Just take two guards with us to visit her grave."  
  
"Yes, Father," he nodded and rode off to give the command. Touya saw the hopefulness in his eyes, the same hopefulness in everyone's eyes. They rode towards the back of the house. About fifty feet away, there was an old tombstone covered in dust and cobwebs. Underneath all that dust and cobwebs said:  
  
Here lies Nadeshiko Kinomoto, Loving mother and caring wife. May she rest in peace.  
  
The tombstone was decorated with intricate carvings of all her favorite flowers and vines. And there was her beautiful face in the middle. The talented artist was sure to include every little detail - from her strands of beautiful curly hair to the glimmer in her eyes.  
  
When they didn't see Sakura, their hope shattered. Their eyes searched worriedly for any signs of her - footprints, a ripped piece of clothing, anything. When they knew she wasn't here, their face seemed to age twenty years. They slowly descended from their horse, their face stressed and haggard. Fujitaka and Touya made their way to the grave glumly and kneeled down on the hard flowerless dirt.  
  
"Sakura." he whispered, his voice trembling, when he saw the bouquet of dried cherry blossoms she'd left a year ago. He closed his eyes to hold in the tears rising up.  
  
Touya swallowed, his hard eyes soft and glistening with liquid.  
  
"I'm sorry, Nadeshiko, I failed to keep my promise. I failed to protect our Sakura, our lovely Cherry Blossom. our only daughter." said Fujitaka sadly, a tear escaping and sliding down his cheek.  
  
"No, Father," Touya disagreed, his jaw quivering. "It's not your fault. It's mine. I was supposed to protect her. It's my duty as a good big brother. How can she depend on me if I can't even keep her safe?"  
  
"Neither of you is at fault," a guard that accompanied them said. "It's all his fault. How would we know that we were going to be ambushed?" His voice and eyes were filled with pity and anger.  
  
"I suppose you're right," Fujitaka agreed, sighing. "But I won't give up hope. Let's wait a couple of days for Sakura. Hopefully she'll find this place later. And when she does, we'll be here waiting for her. Touya, go on ahead and tell them to unpack and set up camp. Let them know we'll be here for awhile."  
  
Touya nodded, jumped into his saddle, and rode off. A guard followed him.  
  
Fujitaka stood there awhile, looking sorrowfully at the grave. 'Please, Nadeshiko, please protect her since we're not able to. Please don't let anything happen to her. I've already lost you; don't let me lose her too. She didn't do anything wrong, she doesn't deserve to die like this. You know, she's looking and acting more like you everyday - cheerful, innocent, carefree, kind. beautiful. She's the only thing left besides Touya that I have left to remind me of you, my beloved Nadeshiko. Keep our daughter from harm. please. I love her as much as I love you.'  
  
A bright star above in the black night twinkled, as if sympathizing him. Fujitaka walked away from the grave and got on his horse. Then he and the guard rode towards the front of the house. The sight of what they saw rendered them speechless.  
  
Done! Hehe, u have 2 wait til next time when I post up t next chap 2 see what it is that they saw. I no, im cruel. Yes, I realize that its very short. But I have other things 2 do now, like my hw n this seemed like a good place 2 stop it. Sorry. But t sooner u review t sooner ill post it up. I no u heard it from others b4 well now ur hearing it from me. So click t u- no-what now. Im waitng. 


	7. Happy Birthday YEA RIGHT!

Finally updated! School is killing me! I hate 0 period. Hafta wake up so early. Arghhhh. Also, I probably wont b able 2 update as early as I want so ull hafta wait bout a week or so till t next chaps up cuz I have school n tons of hw. K, ill stop talking bout school now since u probably don't wanna hear bout it. Ooh, btw, I rote a new story. But personally I think that 1 suxs more than this. O well. . . but if u would r+r it I would b grateful. Thanx! Hmm. . . im thinking of deleting it. I wasn't in a very imaginative mood when I rote that. -_- Tell me if I should in ur reviews 4 that story k?  
  
Kawaiipup-thanx 4 reviewing  
  
Stargurl-uh. . . how will i? but thanx 4 t suggestion  
  
Cherry Tenshi-lol. I no I do. Don't u just LUV them? ;D  
  
Master Li-thanx  
  
LicyBabe2002-your welcome  
  
Sweetcherry-ill try. . .  
  
Sunnie Anderson-lol. Ur reviews r very funny. N I no what ur going through. -_-u I literally hafta kick my older bro off t comp sumtimes. I no, I no, im younger so how can I kick him off. Well, if that doesn't work than I bug him 2 death. Lol. ;p  
  
Chapter 6 "Happy Birthday"  
  
There were five dead bodies lying on the ground. Each one had a knife sticking out of his chest. There were ropes on the ground also, ropes that were cut away. The criminals were nowhere to be seen. Touya was going around, kneeling down next to every lifeless body, checking for pulses. When he found none he shook his head angrily and closed their eyes. After he was done with the last body, he stood up and wiped his hands. Then he turned to Fujitaka.  
  
"Well?" Fujitaka asked impatiently.  
  
Touya shook his head, "I'm sorry, Father, but they're all dead."  
  
"Dammit!" Fujitaka made a fist and punched his other hand, fist in palm. (A/N: I no, hes kinda ooc. Normally hes very calm.) "And what about the criminals?"  
  
"They got away."  
  
"Touya, I want you to remember their names and faces," Fujitaka said with anger in his voice, gesturing towards the dead guards. "When we get home I want you to send their families some money and inform them of what happened."  
  
"Yes, Father." (A/N: that must b his fav phrase or something. ^-^)  
  
"Sir," one of the two remaining guards spoke up after he recovered from the shock, "I don't think it's safe to stay here anymore."  
  
"He's right," the other guard agreed, his face white, "we should leave right away."  
  
"No!" Fujitaka faltered, shocked at his voice. "I mean, no. We will stay here and wait for Sakura. They cannot scare us away. We're not that easily frightened. If they're going to kill us they would have done so already. I think they're afraid we would still be able to defeat them, that's why they ran away instead of fighting us."  
  
"I think two people should stay awake and guard each night," Touya suggested. "And switch shifts with two other people every two hours. That way we won't be caught off guard in case they plan to ambush us."  
  
"That's a good idea, Touya," Fujitaka nodded. "Who wants to take the first shift?"  
  
"I will," a guard volunteered.  
  
"I will too; I insist," the other guard offered.  
  
"Good, wake us up in two hours."  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"And I mean it. Promise me you'll wake us up when your time is up."  
  
"But. . . sir. . . you need your rest. Why don't we stay and watch for four hours instead of two?"  
  
"No, you must rest too. I don't need you two not being able to watch because you're too sleepy."  
  
"But. . ."  
  
"No buts. That is an order and it's final." (a/n: geez, sounds like my parents.)  
  
They sighed and obeyed. Since the house was in such a bad shape and hasn't been cleaned for years - eighteen to be exact - they decided to sleep outside, behind the house, so they'd have more protection. The night wind blew gently, lulling them to sleep. A fire burned brightly, chasing away the darkness. The two already drowsy guards kept the fire going by adding some wood now and then. The hooting of owls could be heard far away, in the darkness of the night. Crickets chirped merrily and frogs croaked. The crescent moon gave off a fair amount of light despite its size. The clear sky was bright due to the white moon and twinkling stars. The guards stifled a yawn and sighed, one of them taking out a candle from his bag. Then he marked a spot on the wax and lit it.  
  
"There," he said, pointing towards the mark, "when the flame reaches that mark we wake them up."  
  
The other guard acquiesced and they resumed to their task, whistling and humming slightly as to not wake up Fujitaka and Touya and to keep themselves occupied so they won't fall asleep.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Everything was misty and Sakura could barely see her outstretched hands. Slowly the mist faded away and revealed Fujitaka standing there, a smile on his face.  
  
"Daddy!" Sakura exclaimed joyously. She ran to him and leapt into his open arms. "Oh, Daddy, I've missed you so much!"  
  
Fujitaka smiled as he hugged her. Then the smile turned into an evil laugh.  
  
"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked, frightened, as she looked up at him.  
  
"What's wrong?" he echoed evilly, "Why, nothing's wrong! Everything's just perfect!" He seized her wrist as she backed away, confused and scared. Then slowly his face changed to that of the leader. She shrieked and pulled her hand away, but to no avail; he had her in his tight grip. Two figures emerged from behind - Touya and Fujitaka. Their eyes were blank; they appeared to be under some sort of trance.  
  
"What's going on? What did you do to them?!" she demanded angrily.  
  
Syaoran suddenly appeared next to them. His eyes were very much alive; he wasn't under anyone's control, but his face was expressionless.  
  
"Li!" she cried, reaching out with her free arm, "Help me, please!"  
  
"You think he's going to help you?!" her captor laughed cruelly.  
  
"Li. . . why-why aren't you doing anything?" she whispered, still squirming to get out of his hard grip.  
  
With a gesture from him, Syaoran approached her with a rope that magically appeared in his hands. His dark ember eyes were filled with sorrow as he walked slowly and reluctantly. Seeing the ropes, she went wide-eyed and stepped back, still trying to pull away. Syaoran stopped and held up the ropes as she slumped and fell to the ground. The leader stood laughing triumphantly.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Sakura woke up to confusion. She was lying on a small comfy bed in a windowless room that was partly dim. The room was plain and simple; small and bare. The only furniture was the bed, and the only accessories lying around were a sword and a pile of neatly folded clothes. The floor was of hard dried dirt. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.  
  
"That was a weird dream," she contemplated. "Why would Li obey him for? (A/N: theres a reason 4 this dream. Ill tell u later.) Huh? Where am I? What is this place?" Sitting up on the bed carefully, which made her feel really dizzy; she stretched to loosen her stiff joints. Her eye quickly scanned the room and found nothing interesting but the sword. It looked ancient but shiny. She wonder what it was for. The shabby wooden door creaked open a few inches, letting a little light in. A woman's head popped in and Sakura turned to face her. Seeing that Sakura was awake she opened the door all the way and walked in. Sakura squinted, waiting for her eyes to adjust to the bright light that poured into the room. (A/N: umm. I don't really no how yelan looks like so uh, im not gonna b able 2 really describe her. betcha ppl r really happy huh? Lol. I no im really descriptive but I heard that a good story is 1 that's descriptive n unpredictable. So yea. im trying 2 do that. Hehe. :P)  
  
She was a regal woman that carried herself with a stately grace that made her common clothing look like it was spun from the finest silk. Even without the aid of jewelry or makeup she still looked fairly attractive for her age.  
  
"Ah, I see that you're awake," she stated.  
  
"Yes, but um. . . where am I? And who are you?"  
  
"You're at my home, and my name is Li Yelan. You're Kinomoto Sakura are you not?"  
  
She nodded. "Li. . . are you related to Li Syaoran?" (A/N: dense, huh? ^-^)  
  
"Yes, I am his mother."  
  
"Oh. . . But, um, how did I get here? The last thing I remember is that I was trying to get ants off of me."  
  
"Err. . . yes, so I was told." Her eyes held merriment as she recalled what Syaoran told her about the ants. "Well, you fainted from your fever and my son carried you here."  
  
"He did? Wow, that's the second time he saved my life. Um. . . do you know where he is? I'd like to thank him, again."  
  
Before she could answer four hyper girls came storming it like a stampede.  
  
"Ooh! She's awake!" Feimei squealed with delight.  
  
"She's even cuter when she's awake than when she's sleeping!" Fuuti exclaimed happily.  
  
"Yes, I agree wholeheartedly," Fanren declared.  
  
"Now we can play with her!" Seifa giggled.  
  
Sakura sweat dropped as Yelan shook her head at her hopelessly hyper daughters.  
  
"Hi?" Sakura greeted nervously as they were still giggling like a bunch of crazy schoolgirls.  
  
"Hi!" they chirped in unison.  
  
"Sakura, these are my daughters - Feimei, Fuuti, Fanren, and Seifa. Everyone, this is Kinomoto Sakura," she introduced as each one nodded when their name was said.  
  
Just then Syaoran walked in to find everyone in his room and froze. "Oh, great," he murmured, "Of all t times they can visit her they just had to pick now. With my luck Meiling's probably going to come visit also." He was just going to get his sword and leave as to not wake her up. Never did he expect to find her awake and his whole family crowded around her. Quietly he tiptoed to where his sword laid, hoping he could get it and get out unnoticed.  
  
"Xiao Lang," Yelan called and everyone turned around, "where are your manners? Come ask how she's doing."  
  
Grudgingly he made his way over to them. "How are you?" he asked wryly.  
  
"I'm fine, Li, and thank-you for saving me again," she smiled.  
  
Syaoran didn't reply and started walking towards his sword. Yelan crossed her arms and cleared her throat.  
  
Syaoran sighed and said, "You're welcome." Then he picked up his sword and headed for the door.  
  
"Oh little brother. . ." Seifa called in a taunting voice, "Did you know that Meiling's coming over sometime soon?"  
  
Syaoran froze at the door as a chill went down his back. "She is?" he groaned, "Oh, no."  
  
The other three sisters burst out laughing and Sakura had a confused look on her face.  
  
"I don't get it," stated Sakura. "Shouldn't he be happy to see her, whoever she is?"  
  
Feimei was able to stop laughing long enough to explain, "She's our cousin, Meiling, and little brother hates having her around."  
  
"Why? I'm happy whenever I see my cousin, even though we live in the same manor."  
  
"You'll see why," said Fuuti with a twinkle in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, by the way, what does Xiao Lang mean?"  
  
"It's Syaoran's name in Chinese."  
  
"Oh. Um. . . what's he going to do with his sword?" Sakura inquired.  
  
This time Yelan spoke up, "He's going to kill himself because he made you sick." Her face was calm; a poker face, but her eyes held mirth. (A/N: sorry but im feeling a lil crazy rite now. Hehe. . . @_@)  
  
"What, no!" Sakura cried as she ran out the door.  
  
Yelan let out a little laugh as the four clutched their stomach, laughing so hard that tears came to their eyes.  
  
"Oh my god, I can't believe she actually fell for that! She's so dense!" Fuuti exclaimed.  
  
"Well I can't believe you actually did that, Mother," giggled Feimei.  
  
"There's a reason I did that," Yelan said, regaining her calm composure.  
  
"And what exactly is that reason?" they asked.  
  
"If we can get those two together, then he won't be so cold and distant anymore."  
  
"Oh, Mother, you're so smart!" they squealed.  
  
  
  
"Li!!!" Sakura yelled, running as fast as her legs can carry her, "Don't do it!!!"  
  
Syaoran paused the unraveling of his sword that was covered with a green cloth - which was now halfway off - and looked at Sakura quizzically. She halted right in front of him, catching her breath. Then she grabbed his sword, trying to take it away from him.  
  
"What's the matter with you?! Are you out of your mind?!" he demanded.  
  
"Li! Don't do it! Please, it's okay!"  
  
"What the heck are you talking about?!" he inquired, confused, and hanging onto his sword.  
  
"Please, don't kill yourself! I'm fine, really, just don't kill yourself!"  
  
"Have you lost it?! I'm not going to commit suicide! I'm just going to practice!" He then snatched his sword back and in doing so cut himself but didn't notice.  
  
"Huh? You mean. . . you're not going to suicide?"  
  
"No! Wherever did you get that idea?!"  
  
"Oh, thank goodness!" she breathed a breath of relief.  
  
"Well? Where did you get the idea that I was going to commit suicide?" he said in a calmer tone this time.  
  
"Um. . . well. . . you see. . ." she blushed, abashed, "your mother told me," she said in a tiny voice.  
  
"What?!" he shouted, shocked, and started marching towards the house.  
  
"Li, wait!" Sakura called as she ran after him.  
  
Syaoran stopped and turned around. "What now?" he asked, annoyed.  
  
She finally caught up to him and grabbed him on his sleeve. "I think she meant it as a joke, but of course me being so dense I couldn't figure it out. So please don't blame her."  
  
He stood there for awhile, indecisive. "Okay," he sighed.  
  
Sakura smiled and let go of his sleeve. That was when she noticed that his palm was bleeding. "Oh, Li, you're bleeding!"  
  
He looked down at his hand and saw blood trickling out. "Oh, it's nothing. It'll eventually heal."  
  
"But if you don't cover it up it can get infected."  
  
"I said it's alright. I've been through much worst; I think I can handle a little scratch."  
  
"It you're not going to cover it up then I will. After all, it is my fault you got cut." Before he can protest she took out a pink handkerchief and began wiping away the blood. Then she wrapped it around his hand and tied it securely with a gentle touch. She did all this while Syaoran stood watching.  
  
"There, all done," she said, looking up at him. For the first time she got a really good look at his eyes. She stared into his eyes, lost in pools of chocolate. (A/N: mmm. . . chocolate. . . hehe, im getting hungry. ;D well, bac 2 t story. . .) He had a scowl on his face but she didn't notice. 'Those eyes, those deep eyes. Their so. . . so. . . stunning. But. . . I sense some pain in them, something must have hurt him deeply. Yet, he's pretty cute, why haven't I noticed that before?' she thought, then blushed at the thought.  
  
As she was drowning in pools of chocolate, Syaoran was spellbound. He was entranced by those jade orbs. 'Their so beautiful. . . she's so beautiful. Wonder why I never saw that before?' he pondered. Then got angry with himself thinking like that, but a little redness still crept into his cheeks. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, he cleared his throat, and Sakura found her way back into reality again. "Thanks," he said gruffly. "I need to practice now."  
  
She nodded and walked away. The she noticed a small cherry blossom tree next to the house. It wasn't very old and didn't have any blooms in it yet but she didn't care. She thought it looked beautiful; it reminded her of her favorite Sakura tree back home.  
  
Syaoran noticed her walking to the tree but didn't say anything. He had forgotten that there was even a tree there. He unwrapped his sword all the way and wiped his blood on it away. Then he remembered what his mother and sisters told him. The sword belonged to his father, and grandfather before that, and it was the same sword his dad used to protect his family that tragic night. The general had taken the body but not the sword. So Fuuti retrieved it, as it was the only thing left they had to remind them of him besides their memory of him. For Syaoran, it was all he had to remember him by. They were outraged the general couldn't even spare them his body so they could give him a proper funeral. Fire lit up in his eyes as he readied himself in a fighting stance. Then he began slashing his sword fiercely, moving back and forth.  
  
Sakura watched in awe at his swordsmanship. He and the sword seemed as one as he did forms after forms. He had a catlike grace; moving swiftly and silently, almost stealthily, as he jumped all over doing complicated moves. He seemed to dance rather than fight. Well to him, it was a dance, a dance of death.  
  
Five people stood in the doorway, watching them. They were too absorbed - Syaoran in his training and Sakura in her watching him - to notice they were being spied on. Yelan, Feimei, Fuuti, Fanren, and Seifa saw everything - from her trying to stop him from "committing suicide" to now.  
  
Yelan's dark eyes gleamed merrily. "The plan is working so far. Now you four must go convince her that he isn't that cold and distant. Or at least why he is who he is."  
  
"Yes, Mother," they piped. They made their way over to the tree where she was sitting and sat down.  
  
"I see you find him interesting," Feimei teased.  
  
"I do not!" she objected, then blushed slightly.  
  
Seeing this the four laughed. "Poor little brother, he never got the chance to know Father," Fuuti said sympathetically.  
  
"How come?" Sakura asked curiously.  
  
"Because our father was murdered the day he was borne," explained Seifa.  
  
"By whom?" she gasped.  
  
"We don't know, but we promised we'll find him and kill him to avenge our father," Fanren said determinedly.  
  
"That's why little brother is so cold and distant. We never thought he'd take it so hard, especially considering the fact that he's never known him. You know, he wasn't always like this. When he was just toddler he was really playful and happy. But when he started to understand things and asked where Father is, we had to tell him. Ever since then he turned cold and distant. It was so sad to see a little boy not being able to enjoy his childhood because of his past hanging over him."  
  
"Really? I wondered why he acts so coldly towards me. I thought he hated me."  
  
"Yes, and he's especially anti-social this time of month."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because today's his birthday; the day Father died."  
  
"Really? That's weird, because today is also my birthday. And my mother died giving birth to me. But what happened to your family is so much sadder."  
  
"That's amazing! You two having the same birthday!" The four shared a look that said oh-my-god-does-this-mean-it's-destiny? But of course dense Sakura doesn't notice anything.  
  
"Yes. . . isn't it?"  
  
"Pity he can't enjoy this day though. He blames himself for Father's death. He always said that if he was never born then Father wouldn't have come home and get killed trying to protect us."  
  
"I blame myself too. . . ''  
  
"Oh, Kinomoto. . . you shouldn't blame yourself. It's not your fault. We keep telling him that but he won't listen."  
  
"Please, call me Sakura. We're friends now are we not?"  
  
"Yes, we are. Well, we have to go prepare him a birthday dinner now so we'll leave you alone now. Bye!"  
  
"Bye."  
  
The four went back to their house after finishing their task. Sakura was left to watch him some more. Sweat dampened his clothes and hair, making it wet and dark. His clothes hung to him, revealing the outline of his well-built body. She began to get drowsy after awhile and drifted off to sleep while Syaoran continued to practice.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Sakura was suddenly at Nadeshiko's grave. In front of her kneeled Touya and Fujitaka, chained. The leader appeared with a big axe. He lifted up the axe, getting ready to strike. "No!!!" Sakura shouted and tried to run to them but someone held her back. She looked back and saw Syaoran, his eyes sad. "Let me go! I have to save them!" Syaoran ignored her protests and held her tight easily as she was forced to watch him bring the axe down. "NO!!!"  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Kinomoto, wake up!" Syaoran shouted, shaking her. Still asleep, she tried to fend him off, striking at him. He dodged them effortlessly and gave one final yell, "KINOMOTO!!!"  
  
Sakura jerked awake suddenly, breathing hard. Beads of sweat covered her face and neck. Syaoran wiped them away roughly.  
  
"Sweat. . ." he murmured, "that means. . . your fever is broken!"  
  
"Huh?" she looked at him in confusion. Then memory of the horrid dream she had came flooding back. A tear threatened to spill as she blinked fiercely, but to no avail. Soon she was sobbing violently. He stood there stunned, not knowing what to do. Impulse took over as he kneeled down and put his arms around her before he realized what he was doing. She shook violently as she sobbed into his shirt. All the tears she had been holding in had finally spilled out. Finally the two realized what he was doing and he hastily let go of her as she stopped crying and wiped away her tears.  
  
"I-I. . . uh. . . I-I'm very s-s-s," stuttered Syaoran, his face a cherry.  
  
"You guys, dinner!" Seifa called, coming to their rescue before they felt anymore awkward.  
  
"Coming!" they shouted back and practically ran for the doors.  
  
Inside the house were scrumptious but simple-looking delicacies prepared. (A/N: um. . . lets just say that these foods were picked from their garden n bought from t market. Just use ur imagination, plz?)  
  
"What's with the feast?" asked Syaoran.  
  
"Don't you know that it's someone's birthday?" Fanren retorted matter- of-factly.  
  
"I thought I told you guys that I don't want to celebrate my birthday."  
  
"We're not celebrating your birthday, we're celebrating her birthday," Seifa gestured at Sakura.  
  
"Huh? Her?"  
  
"Yes, don't tell me you don't know its Sakura's birthday also. Funny, it seems that anyone borne on this day always feels responsible for the death of her parent," Fuuti winked at her sisters secretly.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You mean you also don't know that her mother died giving birth to her? And that she blames herself, like you do?" inquired Feimei.  
  
"No, I don't. And frankly I don't care either."  
  
Sakura looked as if she was about to burst again at the mention of Nadeshiko's death, but she was able to contain herself.  
  
"I'm going to soak in the pond. Be back in thirty minutes," said Syaoran, exiting.  
  
"Ok, we'll wait for you to return then start eating. Besides, we have some finishing touches to do."  
  
"Whatever. Oh, and by the way, Kinomoto's fever is broken. So tell Mother that I'm not going to suicide anymore."  
  
Sakura chuckled nervously and sweat dropped as the four rolled on the floor, helpless with laughter.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Syaoran sighed as he stood in front of the door to his bedroom. The dinner had been a disaster. The women wouldn't stop giggling as he sat there eating grumpily. Worst of all, they kept telling that weak little girl about all of his embarrassing moments. They kept launching into fits of laughter. It was as if they inhaled laughing gas. He was finally able to sneak away and retire to his room. Sighing again, he turned the knob. What he found inside caught him by surprise. . .  
  
Ooh! Another cliffy! I no its mean but I cant help it. Sorry! Don't kill me! *blocks* but I worked very hard at making this chap REALLY long. So 4give me now? I no I haven't updated 4 awhile, so I think u guys deserve this long chap. Sorry. But w/ school n all, I don't have much time left 4 other things. *sighs* o btw, if any1 nos t rank of t sisters -from oldest 2 youngest - plz tell me. I would really appreciate it. N im trying 2 make this story unpredictable 2. ^^ o, n I no u guys wanna see sum s+s soon. Sorry but I cant make them fall in love that fast. Especially w/ syao being so cold-hearted n everything. Sakura will just hafta slowly thaw out his heart n break his shield. Hehe. ^-^ BUT i WILL show tiny bits of s+s. ill b serving up sum small portions in every chap. . . or at least I hope so. N later t s+s will cum. N im giving u ppl hints 2 t story. So see if u can figure it out k? bye! 


	8. Reminiscing

Yay I finally got time 2 update!!! O uh. . . not many ppl reviewed my last chap. . . *sniffs* only bout 4. . . n sum of my usual reviewers didn't leave 1 either. . . I wonder y. . . maybe its cuz u guys missed it n didn't no I updated??? O well, but if u did then read t prev chap 2 make sense of this 1. uh. . . I shouldn't have said that. . . of course u guys would read. -_-u well im gonna stop babbling now n get on w/ t fic.  
  
Sunnie Anderson-lol. My bro is not annoying. Hes just hooked on games, like all t other guys. -_-u But now that hes in college he doesn't have time 4 them. Poor him. O well, more comp time 4 me! *grins* but u wanna no t trick 2 get them off, kick them off. N when that doesn't work whine n bug t hell outta them. Lol. It usually works! Actually, my bros pretty cool, unlike sum of my frens bros I no. . . n ur reviews r so funny. So how does it feel being t middle child? (uh. . . im assuming ur t middle child. If im rong then I apologize.) I wouldn't no cuz im t youngest. I luv being t youngest! ^-^  
  
KanbiAme-thanx so much 4 ur review. Well now u get 2 find out whats in his room! Lol.  
  
Sweetcherry-thanx. Yea Eriol n Tomoyo is definitely gonna b in this fic. A fic cant b complete w/o them rite? :D jk. Newayz, they'll b here in t later chaps 2 cum.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-hey cherry, my loyal reviewer n fren! ^-^ thanx 4 reviewing all my chaps so far. Yea I no I got 2 much cliffys. But I cant help it!!! *whines* *blocks t stuff ppls throwing* hey that was a big rock! *mumbles* uh. . . where was I??? o yea, u n I no ull always review, so t threat isn't working nemore. ;P n NO I will never stop putting up cliffys! I no u ppl hate it but I really cant seem 2 help it. . . don't kill me plz. Sides, every1 else puts cliffys in THEIR fics. That's how we get ppl 2 keep reading n review! (keep those reviews cuming. I LUV them, even 1s w/ only 1 line)  
  
Chapter 7  
  
"Reminiscing"  
  
"You!" he whispered, shocked, "What are you doing here?" Seeing that his bedroom room was still open, he hastily closed it shut so no one would be able to see.  
  
"Well that's a nice way to greet your boss," the mysterious person smirked, and then his eyes flashed dangerously. "I'm here to warn you," he sneered, "that if you don't make any profits for us soon then your family will die."  
  
"I'll bring you someone shortly," Syaoran promised, "But I can't right now because I won't be able to leave my family for some time now. If I'm gone too often they'll get suspicious and start asking questions."  
  
"Alright, I'll give you three days, but after that they're dead, got it?"  
  
Syaoran nodded, restraining himself from launching at the man's throat. Then the guy opened the secret door that Syaoran made and disappeared into the night. Sighing, Syaoran sank into his bed.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
A fifteen year-old boy with unruly chestnut hair and amber eyes walked up to a man and his gang. They eyed him suspiciously as he approached their leader.  
  
"I want to join the gang," he said determinedly.  
  
The group laughed at him, some clutching their stomach. The leader wiped away his tear and asked, "And exactly WHY do you want to join us?"  
  
"Because my family is poor and we need money," he stated simply, with a shrug. 'And I want to find out who killed my father,' he added in his head.  
  
"Ok, but you need to prove to us that you're worthy of being a part of the Black Fox gang," he declared, his eyes gleaming with amusement.  
  
"Sure, what do I have to do?"  
  
"Koi," the leader called to a chubby man who looked like a fish. . . and smelled like one. (A/N: lol. Koi! Lol. Im sorry, but im not good w/ names. . . as u can c w/ t name of t gang n this fatty here. I just thought of a koi fish just now so I decided 2 name him that. Rofl. Ok ok im hyper. Better get back 2 t story. . .)  
  
"Yea, boss?" he answered.  
  
"Test him out; I want to see what he's got."  
  
"Sure thing, boss." Koi approached Syaoran, grinning maliciously. He attempted to punch Syaoran in the stomach, but Syaoran did a round-house kick, hitting his face. Koi staggered back, wiping away the blood that was coming out of his mouth and nose. Angered, Koi tried to grab Syaoran but Syaoran ducked and tripped him, making him fall on his back.  
  
"This is the so-called 'fearsome' gang?" Syaoran asked curtly. "All I can see are some weaklings and idiots."  
  
The remark infuriated the gang members and the leader. They tried to jump him and beat him up but he was too fast as he dodged them easily and stroked them down without breaking a sweat. Soon all of the members - which was only about 20 because all the rest was at headquarters - were lying painfully on the ground. The leader glared at him with hatred in his eyes at what he did to his "followers".  
  
"Very nice," he complimented.  
  
"Thanks. So now can I join?"  
  
"Not yet, now you have to fight me."  
  
"You mean that in order to join these pathetic guys here had to beat you? That's a laugh. If they can beat you then I can beat you with no effort at all," Syaoran laughed.  
  
Now his eyes were practically bulging out of his sockets with rage from the insult. "Of course they didn't! Why do you think I'm the leader?! If they had to fight me to join then there wouldn't be anyone in this gang except me!" he retorted. "But for you I'll make an exception. I want to see how good you really are for myself," he said a little more calmly this time.  
  
"Very well, I accept your challenge."  
  
They got ready in a fighting stance, facing each other. Seeing how the members fought Syaoran underestimated him. The leader threw the first punch, aiming for his chest. Syaoran blocked it and threw one back. He dodged and did a round-house kick. Syaoran did a flip back and bent down and tripped him. As soon as he fell down he jumped back up, doing a flying kick. Syaoran ducked and did an uppercut as the leader past him; his fist colliding with the leader's back hard, making the leader fall down. Syaoran stood there smirking triumphantly as he watched the leader lay there. Little did he know the leader had some tricks up his sleeve. He got up and swiftly threw some sand at Syaoran. Taken aback with surprise Syaoran didn't jump back and got sand in his eyes, blinding him. The leader didn't waste any time in taking Syaoran down while he was trying to get the sand out of his eyes. He ran up to him and punched him hard in the stomach. Syaoran clutched his stomach in pain as his elbow came down and jabbed him on the back. Syaoran hit the ground hard and the leader kicked him brutally as he groaned in pain. The leader smirked, knowing that he had won. Determined to not let the leader see him in pain, Syaoran stood up, holding his head high, trying to maintain what was left of his dignity.  
  
"You were really good," the leader complimented, still smirking. "Congratulations, you made it into the gang."  
  
"I made it? But I thought that I had to beat you in order to make it," he said with a look of defiance in his eyes.  
  
"Yes, I did say that, didn't I? But after I saw how well you can fight - better than anyone else here save me - I thought it would be a shame to not recruit you. With you, we will be even more feared and prosperous."  
  
*End of flashback*  
  
Syaoran lied down on his bed, worry and sadness written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Sakura, but I must do this."  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"So how did it go, boss?" Koi asked, "What did he say?"  
  
"Expect another hostage soon," was all the leader said.  
  
Everyone else grinned maliciously.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Sakura found herself chained up in a dark and dank dungeon. She was chained up in a small place without windows, hence the room being so dark. A metal door opened up as she squinted at the brightness. After her eyes adjusted, she found herself looking up at the leader, who was right outside the bars holding her captive. He gestured to a guard nearby to open the bar door so he can enter. The guard hastily pulled out a set of keys and began frantically searching for the right one, all the while the leader eyeing him. When he found the one he was looking for he unlocked the bar door and moved aside so his boss can enter. Sakura shrank back as he came closer. "What do you want? Stay away from me!" she yelled.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
A young auburn-haired girl slowly opened her eyes to the gentle shaking. As her focus came into view she saw Fanren shaking her slightly.  
  
"Huh? Wa?" Sakura asked, confused.  
  
"You've finally awoke," Fanren smiled, "You were asleep for a long time. I guess you must have been really tired."  
  
"Yes, I guess I was," Sakura managed a weak smile.  
  
"But why were you crying out in your sleep? Were you having a bad dream or something?"  
  
"Lately I keep having these nightmares about my family and that leader." She didn't dare tell Fanren about Syaoran being in those dreams for fear that she might resent that.  
  
Fanren gave her a sympathetic look and said, "Now come on, we're about to have breakfast."  
  
Sakura quickly got out of bed as Fanren walked out the door after leaving her some old clothes she and her sister had when they were little. After she got dressed Sakura went outside of the room and saw everyone already seated and chattering happily. Syaoran, on the other hand, had a scowl on his face. Sakura smiled as she saw the scowl, which seemed to be on him all the time. Yelan gestured to the seat next to Syaoran, which was Meiling's seat when she was there, and Sakura sat down. They ate contently, chattering as they ate, and often times remarking how their clothes seemed to fit her just perfectly, which made her blush every time. Not long after, the door swung open and a girl popped in.  
  
Whoo hoo! Finally done! *celebrates* I no it took a LONG time 4 me 2 get that up but I have a really good reason. SCHOOL!!! Grrrr. School takes up so much time n I always hafta go sumwhere so im always busy. N these things don't leave me much time 2 rite my fic. -_- I wish it was summer again. . . *sighs* o n another thing, did any1 guess that syao was in t gang??? Member t dream??? I was giving u hints. ^-^ n I did say that there was a reason 4 these dreams. U no, t black fox, (yea yea I no their title is sooooo stupid. But like I said a dozen times b4 im NOT good w/ names. So if any1 has any idea 4 a name 4 them id b more then happy 2 change it. ^-^) t gang that robs ppl n stuff. . . I explained it all in t other chap so I don't wanna explain again. 2 tired. . . n I still haven't done my hw yet! *sobs**sighs* so I better get started on that. . . o n I realize that its very short but I don't have that much time but I just wanted 2 post it up. *pities herself* well, cya. 


	9. Festival Fighting

Omg. . . 2 much hw!!! Dammit!!! Stupid honors class!!! I wanna freaking drop them already!!!!! *blinks* ok. . . im calm im calm. . . just needed 2 get that out. God t end of a grading period is torture. . . have so much hw n tests. Drives me crazy. @_@ Ok, now where were we. O yes. . .  
  
Sum 1- thanx 4 t compliments. N I don't think ur dense. . . I kinda made it hard 4 ppl 2 figure out that syao was in t gang. That was 1 of my goals. Lol.  
  
Cherry Tenshi- yes, ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER. ^o^ mwhahahaha!!! Aint I evil??? Lol. N 2 answer ur ? hes in t gang that attacked sakura's family. O n t work u have is nuthin compared 2 mines. . .trust me on that. Just wait till next year. O n another thing, DON'T MOVE!!!! I WANT U 2 GO 2 RHS!!!! Ill miss u if u don't!!! n im gonna keep bugging u bout that till u promise not 2 move.  
  
Peach-bear- thanx very much. ^-^ o n really, I wanna update soon 2. . . but. . .well u no. (just read up there if u don't get it)  
  
Danielle Ngo- wow, that was a um. . . long review. . .^-^U. ahem. . . newayz, I get t message t 1st 50 times, u didn't hafta do that. Lol but I don't mind. ^-^ er. . . were u in a hyper mood or sumthing when u rote that??? Lol. Jk. Don't get offended. Um. . . ur last name is NGO. . . r u Vietnamese??? Thatll b so cool if u r cuz I m 2!! Lol.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
"Festival Fighting"  
  
"Hello, everyone!" the girl greeted.  
  
"Hello," everyone, except Syaoran, who was scowling like always, greeted in return.  
  
"Sakura," said Yelan, "this is Chiharu. She lives with her husband, Takashi. They own a small grocery store in town and they give us what is left over." (A/N: ha! U guys thought it was meiling didn't ya?! Tricked ya!!! Lol. Hey cherry tenshi u guessed rong!! Na nah na na nah. Lol. *blows raspberry* hmmm. . . I guess im hyper rite now. :p told u im trying 2 make this unpredictable.)  
  
A few seconds later another girl came running in. She had raven black hair and sparkling ruby eyes. (A/N: now its meiling. ^u^) "Hi, Chiharu, Aunt Yelan, Seifa, Fuuti, Feimei, Fanren, and XIAO LANG!"  
  
Hearing that dreaded voice he froze as a chill ran down his back. "Oh, no," he groaned.  
  
"Hello, Meiling," everyone, with the exception of Syaoran once again, who now had a look of weariness and annoyance on his face, greeted in return.  
  
"Hey, Xiao Lang," Meiling said in a sing-song voice, "there's a festival in town today. can you take me? Please, please, PLEASE?"  
  
"No," he answered gruffly.  
  
"Well I think it's a good idea," Yelan stated, "We all should go."  
  
"But, Mother!" Syaoran protested.  
  
"No, Xiao Lang, I think it's time you go outside and have some fun for once," Yelan said in a tone of voice that permitted no argument.  
  
Scowling, he had no choice but to acquiesce. (A/N: in case u don't no what that word mean, its "to agree passively." O n if I use words that u guys don't understand then plz tell me so I can explain. I tend 2 use big words. Eheheheh. . . sowwie cant help it. But ill try 2. . . lol. It annoys t hell outta my frens. Lol.)  
  
"Well, it's been fun, but I best be getting home now," said Chiharu.  
  
"Goodbye, Chiharu, we appreciate the food," Yelan thanked.  
  
"Bye!" they all, save Syaoran, echoed.  
  
"Well now, we had better be getting along," remarked Yelan. "Let's go, shall we?"  
  
The girls happily complied and marched outside after Yelan while Syaoran trudged behind grudgingly. Seeing him lag behind, Meiling ran back and pounced on him. He barely had time to stagger back. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him along.  
  
"What do you think you're doing?! Let go of me, woman!" he demanded.  
  
Ignoring that last comment, Meiling happily persisted to pull him until they reached the group, where she let go of him. Seeing that event, Sakura blinked, confused, but then burst out laughing. Syaoran glared fiercely at her, daring her to continue laughing. Had it been someone else, they would have turned to stone, but it had no effect on her.  
  
"I'm sorry," Sakura apologized, still laughing, "but I couldn't help it."  
  
Finally able to calm down, she smiled at him. For some reason he couldn't stay mad at her and his glare disappeared as he felt a blush creeping onto his face. Catching himself, he turned around and they continued walking. Yelan and her four daughters secretly shared a smile as they saw everything that happened, including the faint blush Syaoran had for a fraction of a second. Meiling happily walked, or rather, skipped, along beside the annoyed and agitated Syaoran. Sakura was walking with Yelan and talking with the four hyper and garrulous sisters about unimportant things.  
  
After some time, they reached the bustling town. There were a great many people walking around, chatting and having fun. Some of them watched contestants in competitions and women were checking put goods from the stands. Sakura's eyes widened in amazement at the number of people and games there since she'd never been to a festival before because her dad and brother was too overprotective and scared that she would get kidnapped in these dangerous times to let her go to events where there were many people about. Yelan and her four daughters looked at each other and nodded.  
  
"Hey!" Fanren exclaimed, pointing to the stands, "Let's go check out the merchandises!"  
  
"Yes, c'mon!" Fuuti laughed, agreeing with her suggestion.  
  
The four, along with Yelan, grabbed Meiling and pulled her along, speeding off before Syaoran and Sakura could react.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Sakura shouted after them. She grabbed Syaoran's hand and pursued after them, dragging Syaoran along with her, who was now objecting to her holding his hand. Syaoran was surprised of how strong a grip she had for being so small. Some time later, they stopped after unsuccessfully finding them. Breathing hard, she sat down. Syaoran stood there, not the least tired. "It looks like we've lost them," she stated.  
  
"No, really? I didn't notice," remarked Syaoran sarcastically.  
  
"So I guess we're on our own now, huh?" she mused, deciding to not let his sarcasm get to her.  
  
"Uh, Kinomoto?"  
  
"Yes, she answered, looking up at him.  
  
"Can you let go of my hand now?"  
  
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "I'm sorry!" She quickly released his hand and looked at the ground, not wanting him to see her blush. Syaoran, too, blushed faintly, but was relieved that she let go. Yet at the same time, in the back of his brain, he felt disappointed for some weird unknown reason.  
  
"Hmmm. . . let's see. . . what should we do now?" Sakura pondered.  
  
"I don't know, walk around and try to find them in this maze like we did when you wanted to search for your mother's grave?" Syaoran said wryly.  
  
"Ok, sure!" She jumped up and started walking aimlessly, completely oblivious to the fact that he didn't mean it.  
  
Sighing exasperatedly, he followed her as she walked around, taking in the sight. (A/N: he seems 2 b doin alotta following doesn't he??? Lol.)  
  
Syaoran decided to take this time to think about all the things that happened these past few days, especially about Sakura. Too deep in thought was he that he didn't notice Sakura abruptly stopping. He kept walking until he collided into something that broke his train of thought. Landing hard on the ground, he looked up to see Sakura staring down at him, a look of concern on her face. 'How can that weak little girl knock me over? She didn't even stagger when I bumped into her,' he thought.  
  
"Syaoran, are you okay?" Sakura asked, her voice filled with concern.  
  
"I'm fine!" he snapped harshly, slapping away the hand that she offered to help him up. "And call me Li!"  
  
"Okay. . ." she whispered softly, recoiling and rubbing her hand.  
  
His outburst attracted some passersby and they glared at him for treating her like that. He returned the glares with a deadly one of his own. Getting up and wiping his hands, he noticed that Sakura wasn't so cheerful anymore. She looked on the verge of tears. (A/N: well duh!! Wat do u expect u *inaudible mumbling* *blinks* whoops. . . eheheheh. . . wonder y im so mad. . . -_- I mean, I'M t 1 that rote this!!! NEWAYZ, lets get bak 2 t story b4 SUM1 *points 2 bro* thinks ive gone crazy n talking 2 myself n call t insane asylum. . .) He felt a pang of guilt a mentally slapped himself. 'Dammit! Why do you always have to be so mean to her?! it's not her fault I was stupid enough to not watch where I'm going!! It's my own fault!!!'  
  
"I'm. . . I'm. . . I'm sorry," he was finally able to say it out. (A/N: OMG DID HE JUST APOLOGIZE?!?! *gasps* *faints* *bro gives her weird looks n sweat drops* *bro pokes her* bro: ay u dead? *no answer* *bro gets on comp n cracks fingers* bro: well, since shes out maybe I should "help" her w/ her story. . . *evil laughter* *wakes up just in time to drag bro off comp n push him outta HIS room* *bro protests* bro: HEY!!! THIS IS MY ROOM!!! N I NEEDA FINISH MY HW!!! Ok. . . now where were we. . . LOL!!! ^O^ so sowwie!!!!! Just HADDA do that!!! LOL!!!! ^o^ ok, I promise to not talk nemore. :x)  
  
"It's okay, Li," she smiled, making him blush faintly again.  
  
'That's weird, she didn't get angry. If that was Meiling there'd be steam coming out of her ears. But then again, if it was Meiling I wouldn't be following her. She'd be following me,' thought Syaoran. "Um, Kinomoto? Why did you stop? Did you see them or something?"  
  
"No," she shook her head, then pointed to an arena, "I just saw a contest I thought you'd be interested in."  
  
"I don't think any of these ridiculous contests would catch my attention."  
  
"Oh, so you're saying that you won't compete in that Martial Arts Competition?"  
  
"No, I won't. Besides, those weaklings are no match for me."  
  
"Ok, then, if you won't compete then I will. There's a two hundred gold coins prize for the top fighter. Just think of it as my way of thanking you. It's really too bad, I wanted to fight you myself," she stated as she ran off to enter her name in."  
  
"Wait, Kinomoto!" Syaoran shouted as he grabbed a hold of her hand to stop her. "You can't compete! You haven't fully recuperated yet and you'll get hurt!" 'Wait a minute, why should I even care about her?!'  
  
"Aw, Li, thank-you for caring. But I'm still entering," she laughed as she gave him a peck on his cheek.  
  
Syaoran stood there stunned and flustered as she undid his hold on her and ran off giggling. After he recovered he dashed off after her. 'Damn how does she run so fast?!' he thought as he tried not to lose sight of her. He reached her just in time to snatch the quill pen away from her.  
  
"Hey, Li, give that back!" she whined, her arms outstretched.  
  
"No! if you get hurt then my mother would have my head on a platter. If you want to repay us back so badly then I'll enter in your place!" he yelled, quickly signing his name down before she could object.  
  
"Uh, thanks, but you didn't had to do that. The guy in charge wouldn't let me join anyways because I'm a girl an he thinks I'm weak," she explained.  
  
Getting angry at the man for some reason unknown to him, he walked into the waiting area scowling but feeling relieved at the same time.  
  
"I'll be cheering for you!" she called after him, making the usually balanced wolf stumble.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Next up is Li Syaoran!" the host announced. The young girls in the audience cheered wildly, some swooning and sighing. Sakura just smiled brightly and clapped.  
  
Syaoran positioned himself in a fighting stance and got ready. His opponent was someone in a hooded figure, hiding his face. He looked calm but ready. Wanting to get this over with, Syaoran charged, making a big mistake. Usually he would be on the defensive rather than the offensive, which was the best way, but he was growing weary of this. The hooded figure dodged and elbowed him from behind, making him stagger and fall. He got back on his feet quickly and did a flying kick. Once again, he made a mistake, which was leaving himself open for an assault. The stranger easily dodged once again grabbed his foot while he was still airborne and slammed him down onto the ground. Now angered, Syaoran got up and attempted to punch him. The man blocked and kneed him in the stomach, then did a perfect uppercut, knocking the wind out of him. Syaoran laid breathing hard on the ground, too tired to move.  
  
Sakura gasped with every attack he received. "No, Li! Please be alright!" she pleaded.  
  
Turning his head so he can see Sakura, he felt a pain in his neck. But seeing Sakura's face brighten up as he move gave him new strength. He got on his feet and got ready, this time preparing to be defensive instead of offensive. The stranger did a sweep and Syaoran avoided it with a back flip. Then he countered it with drop-kick. Taken by surprised, the man didn't have time to block and got hit. Then Syaoran did a series of basic punches and kicks. He moved too fast for the man to block any of them. Syaoran finished with a punch, rotated 180 degrees and then jabbed him with his elbow in the stomach, rotated 180 degrees again, bended his knees, and did a splitting uppercut, knocking him out.  
  
The crowded roared with excitement as he stood there, breathing hard. Out of all the people present, he only noticed Sakura, jumping up and down, clapping her hands and laughing happily. Seeing that he smiled, then slumped to his knees, worn out. Sakura's face, as did everyone else's, filled with worry. But then they relaxed when the announcer said that he and his opponent were just tired and told some guards to help they to the resting area, where they were to be given some water and food.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Wow, Li, you were great up there. I can't believe you actually won first place!" Sakura exclaimed cheerfully. (A/N: im not gonna rite t rest of t contest. Lets just say that he won all his matches easily. Sides, itll b 2 long n im tired n hafta do my math hw soon. _.)  
  
"Yea, well, it was easy. I told you they were no match for me, thought that hooded stranger was quit a challenge," he said haughtily.  
  
"Well what should we do now?"  
  
Suddenly, someone bumped into her, then continued walking.  
  
"Ouch! Hey, that was rude! He didn't even apologize!" Sakura pouted.  
  
Syaoran narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Check for your purse," he hissed.  
  
"Um, okay. . ." she said dubiously, reaching for where the purse is. "It's not here!" she cried when she didn't feel it.  
  
All of a sudden, Syaoran took off in pursuit of the guy who bumped into Sakura.  
  
Taken by surprise, Sakura blinked then zoomed after him, taking care not to bump into anyone. "Li, wait for me!" she yelled in hopes that he would slow down.  
  
Syaoran kept chasing after the mysterious stranger, who was now aware that Syaoran was after him and running away. they came to a small wall and the guy leapt over it easily. Syaoran did a smooth flip, using the top of the wall for support, and landed on the other side in front of the guy. Having anticipated that Syaoran would do that, he stopped and folded his arms, waiting.  
  
"Ah, Syaoran, you've finally managed to catch up with me," he said, amused.  
  
"Who are you?! How do you know my name?!" Syaoran demanded.  
  
The stranger smirked and pulled down his hood, which was covering his face and deepening his voice the whole time. (A/N: in case u haven't figured it out yet, its t guy who fought syao. U no, t guy that ALMOST beat him.)  
  
Once seeing the face, Syaoran gasped. . .  
  
Finished!!! w/ this chap newayz. . . well, ive got nothing 2 say so im just gonna go do my hw now. Remember 2 review. I wanna no wat u think, specially bout t fighting part. I tried my best 2 make it better. Well, bye! 


	10. Diminished Hope

Hmm. . . I no that in t summary I said that there'll b magic in this fic. But now im not so sure nemore. I no 4 sure that therell b magic at t very end though. But if u guys want magic rite now I can put it in. Ill just needa change t plot a lil bit. So if u do want magic just state so in ur review n ill try ta put it in. newayz, sorri 4 not uploading but theres sumting rong w/ ma internet. So rite now im at ma frens house n typing like crazy cuz I hafta go soon. Uh, theres not gonna b ne shoutouts this time cuz shes hurrying me. Ill make it up next chap. Which will hopefully get upload soon. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 9  
  
"Diminished Hope"  
  
"Eriol?!" Syaoran gasped.  
  
"The one and only," Eriol smirked. "Surprised to see me?"  
  
"Not really," he replied, "I've learnt a long time ago that you always show up when least expected. But what are you doing here, out of all places?"  
  
"Going to the festival of course," he answered. "Speaking of festivals, here's your money back." Eriol then threw the pouch to Syaoran, who caught it swiftly and gratefully.  
  
"Thanks, but why did you fight me in the first place if you didn't want the money?"  
  
"Because I wanted to test you out. It's been a long time since we've last fought. You've improved, or was it a special SOMEONE that enabled you to beat me?" Eriol had a twinkle in his eyes, while Syaoran blushed slightly.  
  
At that moment, Sakura, her energy drained because she hadn't fully recuperated, was struggling to climb the wall. She managed to swing both her arms over but couldn't pull herself up. Seeing his, Syaoran rushed over to come to her aide. Noticing that, Eriol decided to wreck some havoc. He jumped on top of the wall and, in one swift motion, grabbed a hold of Sakura's waist and pulled her over before Syaoran could assist her. Then he jumped down, still holding her, and set down a very stunned Sakura.  
  
Syaoran fumed and crossed his arms, scowling at Eriol. (A/N: uh oh. . . SUM1s jealous!!! ^O^)  
  
"Err. . . thanks. . . I think. . ." Sakura said uncertainly, "but who are you?"  
  
"Why, I'm an acquaintance and close friend of Syaoran there. My name is Eriol," he introduced himself and kissed her hand, bowing. (A/N: such a gentleman! :p) "May I know you name, lovely young goddess?"  
  
Syaoran glared at Eriol, face red from anger this time at his behavior while Sakura blushed. Sneaking a peek at the two tomatoes in front of him, he smirked. 'This should be interested. . .'  
  
"M-m-my name is Sakura," Sakura stuttered shyly, still blushing.  
  
"Ah, a lovely name for a lovely goddess!" Eriol exclaimed.  
  
"Hey, Sakura, here's your money back," Syaoran said before Eriol could try anything else and tossed her the pouch.  
  
"Oh, thank-you," she said as she caught it.  
  
"I think it's time we should be heading back, Sakura," Syaoran said, gritting his teeth.  
  
"Well, I won't be keeping you then," Eriol bided them farewell and kissed Sakura's hand lightly before departing, knowing that Syaoran was filled with jealousy and finding it amusing.  
  
'Why am I getting jealous because of a little kiss?!' Syaoran castigated himself, 'Eriol's always like that!' After he was done scolding himself, he sighed, seeing how Sakura looked dejectedly at the wall, pondering how she was going to get back over. Making a face, he wrapped an arm around her slim waist and hoisted them both over by leaping over the wall skillfully. She barely had time to gasp from surprise before he put her down and quickly removed his arm.  
  
"Thanks, Li," she said in a tiny voice. 'Geez, why is everyone picking me up all of a sudden? I can make it over the wall. All I need is a little push. But, I suppose I should be thankful.'  
  
Up ahead, they spotted Yelan and the rest. But before they could run up to them they dashed off, dragging Meiling with them after Fuuti saw them.  
  
"Hey, wait!" Syaoran shouted as he and Sakura tried to chase after them, but got lost in the crowd.  
  
"Looks like we lost them again," Sakura sighed dejectedly.  
  
'Hmm. . . why did they run away when they saw us?' Syaoran pondered. 'Don't tell me they're trying to make me like Kinomoto?! Well, they'll see, I'll never like her. and I'll make sure she doesn't like me either.'  
  
"I think I know that, Kinomoto," he sneered. "You don't have to remind me."  
  
"Oh, ok. . ." she whispered meekly, eyes downcast. "I'll just keep my comments to myself then."  
  
He felt a pang of remorse but quickly shook it off, determined to not get soft. "C'mon let's go," he said gruffly. "I don't have time to stand around and watch you mope."  
  
Sakura nodded, discouraged, and silently followed him.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Sir, we've been waiting for Miss Sakura for a long time now. I'm sorry to say this, but. . . I don't think she's still alive. . ." a guard said sullenly.  
  
"I think so too," the other guard agreed. "We should head back now, Sir, our food supply is running low. Not to mention that the horses won't last very long on these parched, dried grass. I don't think they can even bring themselves to eat it."  
  
"Silence, both of you!" roared an angry Touya. "We will keep waiting her for Sakura, even if it takes a couple more days! If the horses cannot live on the grass then go get some fruits from nearby trees!"  
  
"But we are only thinking about what is best for you and your father! You know very well that we would give up our lives to save hers any day!" they protested frantically.  
  
"How dare you talk to me like that you -'' Touya shouted.  
  
"Enough, all of you!" ordered Fujitaka, cutting off Touya and silencing them all. The weary man rubbed his bloodshot eyes, not having enough sleep watching, hoping, praying, for a sign of Sakura. "Unfortunately, they are right, Touya, we must go back."  
  
"But, father -'' Touya objected.  
  
Fujitaka raised his hand, cutting Touya off once again. "There will be no arguments. A good general must know when his soldiers are right." He closed his eyes and sighed, a tear rolling down his cheek.  
  
They were shocked that Fujitaka actually cried. The only time they saw him crying was when Nadeshiko died.  
  
"Yes, father," he replied, "I shall comply, however reluctantly."  
  
Sadly and silently, they walked to the famished horses and untied them.  
  
"We shall not ride them less they die; they are too tired," stated Fujitaka.  
  
They nodded and started to lead the horses back home.  
  
After awhile, they came upon an apple tree and decided to pick some for themselves and the horses. So Touya headed over to it, careful not to step on the anthill. He picked one and cleaned it with his shirt, then bit into the juicy delicious apple. Then he picked some more and tossed them to Fujitaka and the guards. They fed on the apples hungrily, remembering to give some to the horses. Touya was about to pick another one when one fell from the tree. He looked down at it and something caught his eyes. Bending down, he picked up a silver locket, in the shape of a star. He gasped, recognizing it.  
  
"Touya, what are you examining over there?" Fujitaka inquired, curiously. Seeing that his son was not responding, he walked over and kneeled down beside Touya and gave him a quizzical look.  
  
"This locket. . ." Touya whispered, opening it, "belongs to Sakura. . ." He opened it all the way and saw a picture of his beautiful mother, Nadeshiko.  
  
"No. . ." Fujitaka whispered, then checked the ground hastily, checking for footprints. "This delicate one must be Sakura's, but, who's this? It's not pressed very hard, as to make as less noise as possible. But yet, he is very balanced, and his feet are in a position ready to move if necessary. He is a very skilled warrior," Fujitaka mumbled. "These must belong to. . . the leader of the Black Fox. . . Then they must have her. She must have lost it struggling with him. She's as good as dead then. . . if not, then she's suffering a fate worst than death. . ."  
  
At that time, the fact that his precious little sister, whom he'd sworn to protect with his life, hit him full force and the strong big brother broke down crying like a baby.  
  
Fujitaka patted his back, crying also, as he watered the tree with his tears. When he was done, he was filled with anger and abhorrence for the gang. "I swear, Sakura, one day I shall avenge you and finally you will be able to rest in peace," he spat, his voice filled with hatred as he clenched the locket tightly. Then he punched the tree, denting it. Suddenly they were not so hungry anymore.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Geez, why do you guys keep pulling me around for?" Meiling asked, gasping for air.  
  
"Oh, uh, because we're just very excited!" Fanren laughed.  
  
"When aren't you excited?" Meiling mumbled sarcastically. "And where's Xiao Lang? I thought I saw him just now, before you guys dragged me away."  
  
"You must be mistaken!" Seifa laughed nervously. "Neither of us saw Xiao Lang."  
  
"But I really did -''  
  
"Oh, look over there!" Feimei exclaimed, pointing to a small shop, "They have so many beautiful clothes! Let's go check it out!"  
  
Meiling forgot about what she was about to say and happily walked towards the shop. The five trailed behind.  
  
"That was too close," Yelan whispered fiercely. "We must be more alert from now on. We cannot afford to be caught off guard again. I don't think Sakura knows what we're doing but Xiao Lang's smart, I think he's starting to suspect us."  
  
"Yes, mother, we won't be so careless next time," the four chorused.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Uh, Li?" Sakura called softly.  
  
"What is it now?" he asked in an annoyed tone without bothering to turn around and face her.  
  
"Instead of just walking around and trying to find them in vain, why don't we go home and wait for them instead?"  
  
"For once you think of something good, Kinomoto, we might as well. This is useless."  
  
Sakura smiled, glad that he agreed with her. But then Syaoran turned around and walked in the other direction without giving her a glance and her smile turned into a frown. 'Why does he hate me so? Was it something I did? Oh, no, I hope I didn't offend him. . .' (A/N: poor sakura. . .)  
  
After some more wandering around, they found the exit and left. Syaoran started heading for home at a fast pace. Poor Sakura had to practically jog to keep up with him. Gradually, she got too tired to keep up with him and lagged behind, puffing.  
  
"Weakling. . ." Syaoran muttered under his breath. Annoyed, he called, "C'mon stop meandering we don't have all day!"  
  
"Ok, Li!" she nodded and tried to quicken her pace.  
  
After awhile she got too exhausted at such a fast pace that she just gave up and collapsed on the ground, sitting crossed-legged and moping. She put her head down, thinking of home.  
  
Syaoran noticed her stopping and looked back, only to see her in nostalgia. Sighing, he walked over to her.  
  
The next minute she got hit in the back of the head and everything went black; she passed out. 


	11. Succession

Yea yea I no I havent updated in a very long time. But im busy n sides, im stressing bout school rite now so this fic isn't exactly on t top of my to- do list. Not that I have 1 or nethin. . . n this writers block isn't really helping either. Well enuf of my problems lets talk bout t story a bit shall we. Lol. Ooh. . . I left u guys in suspense there in t last chap. . . hehe sorry. But then agen I think its kinda obvious that I leave cliffhangers in every chap. Well, almost every chap. Annoying isn't it??? Hmm. . . ironic that a wolf should work 4 a fox. . . lol. Well lets just get on w/ t story since every1 probably wants 2 no what happened already n are uninterested of my talking.  
  
Ok. . . this is t shoutouts that I said ill make up 4 in t last chap. . .  
  
Cindy-aw. . . thanx 4 t compliment! ^^  
  
Sunni Anderson-hey u did t same thing I did 2 my fren! Lol. Newayz. . . I like ur parody. O n I guess u don't hafta wait nemore cuz I finally updated. Lol.  
  
Angela-ai. . . I cant finish THAT quick u no. . . n sides. . . I have a feelin this is gonna b a somewhat long story. -_- I never rite short stories. . . welps cya on Sunday 2.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-sheesh. . . will ya stop complainin bout t cliffys! Lol. Jk. Complain all u want im still gonna put cliffys in, LOTSA cliffys, just 4 u. hehehe. *evil grin* Yea yea im a meanie I no u say that all t time. Lol. O yea. . . need help kickin ur bro outta his room??? Netime u need me just gimme a call. Or IM me if im on. . .  
  
Peach-bear-erm. . . gee thanx. . . but personally I think t fighting part kinda sux. Just when I uploaded it I thought of howta make it betta. _  
  
Danielle NGo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.  
  
Eclipse-uh. . . we put up cliffys cuz we want ppl 2 read it??? I mean. . . don't ppl wanna cont readin if theres sumtin that make em wanna?? If u leave them in suspense like that they'll b more eager 2 read it t next time cuz they wanna find out what happens. Well that's my opinion newayz. . . but hey in t old days they didn't print out t hole story in a book. They just print out chap by chap. Specially those really old classics that they make u read at skool.  
  
Welps that's all 4 last last chap shoutouts. . . now 4 t last chap. . . lol.  
  
Hermoinepotter-gee. . . ive never been called that b4 but thanx so much! ^^ newayz. . . I don't wanna spoil t ending. . . hehe jk ill just tell u. yes ill end it w/ s+s. their my main couple!  
  
Cindy-yea I no I haven't updated in a LONG time. Very sorry. Eheheh. ^-^U  
  
Cherry blossom-um. . . I didn't wanna make syao THAT mean 2. . . but its essential 2 t plot! Sowwie if I made u mad. . . BUT hes gonna b MUCH nicer from now on. Promise ^-^  
  
. . .-yes I realize that syaos VERY mean in this chap. Newho. . . ill TRY ta update sooner.  
  
Danielle Ngo-alrite alrite ill put up more chaps. Lol jk.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-*frowns* aw don't glare like that! *smiles innocently* yea yea I no im not innocent ive heard that from u a lot. Lol jk. Newayz. . . u needa work on ur glare. Hehe jp. *weary sigh* once agen ur complaint bout t cliffy. . . lol I guess u did guess rite on that last cliffy. . . *applause* now if only ull do that more often. . . haha jj. O btw. . . ur always calm. lol. N YES ill update more!!!  
  
Pheew well that's t last of em. . . o n since I haven't updated in a long time ill try ta make this chap long. Wow. . . t shoutouts took up a hole page. . . now on 2 t story! Finally. . . ^-^ enjoy!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
"Succession"  
  
Syaoran stood there looking down at the yet again unconscious Sakura. (A/N: dang if I keep doin this 2 her pretty soon shes gonna get brain damage. Lol.) Struggle and remorse was evident all over his face. He regretted everything he did but after all he needed someone for ransom. And who better to capture than the girl the leader's been trying so hard to capture? Besides, why should he care about her? Why is she any different from any of the other people that he's handed over to him? Squeezing his eyes shut, he exhaled deeply and began the work of dragging her back to the hideout. As he picked her up the pouch the award money was in dropped out. He retrieved it from the ground and stared at it, sighing.  
  
'You care about her don't you?' a voice in his head whispered, 'That's why you won that money for her so she wouldn't have to and why you feel so guilty about everything you've done.'  
  
'No!' he denied fiercely, 'I don't care about her at all! Go away I don't need a damn conscience!'  
  
The voice squirmed away back into the deepest corner of his mind but still grated at him. Grumbling, he carried her towards the direction of the hideout. He had not even taken three steps yet when an idea popped into his head. Smiling mysterious, he continued his task.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
After riding for so long it was a relief to finally see the familiar city of Tomeda beyond the rolling hills. They had, after all this time, reached home. Fujitaka and the rest sighed gratefully at the sight of the entrance. As they rode on in, the people walking around recognized them and shouted out greetings cheerfully. The gate closed behind them when everyone entered and they smiled.  
  
The city was truly beautiful, as everybody claimed; not just the residents but merchants as well as travelers who passed by. And the people were as friendly as the city was beautiful. There was a high and impenetrable wall surrounding the whole city to keep out not-so-friendly visitors. Houses lined the huge streets on both sides. The houses were not very grand, nor expensive, but they were cozy and had the comforts of home. Surrounding many of the houses were gardens of variations of plants; ranging from herbs and spices to vegetables. There were a few shops here and there. A blacksmiths hammer could be heard ringing in the distance and so could a mother's voice calling her children to supper. Huge trees offered shade to the weary and birds of all sizes twittered happily. Though all this was very magnificent, the city would be much more beautiful had the former king had not been so careless and lazy. In fact, all who resided there disliked the king, he was a tyrant. But they dare not make it known less someone hears and report to him, and their head would be detached from their body the next morning.  
  
They rode on pass the people and returned the greetings happily, glad to be back home. Suddenly a little boy of about five ran into the middle of their path while his mother chased after him. She was near hysterics when he finally stopped right in front of them and she held on to him protectively, afraid that he was going to get crushed. Fujitaka, who was leading, had to jerk the rein back violently in order to not crush the boy. The mother let out a big sigh of relief.  
  
"Where's Miss Sakura?" he asked innocently, unaware that he almost got squashed.  
  
"Well. . . she won't be coming back anymore. . ." Fujitaka answered quietly, his voice strained.  
  
"Why not?" he inquired, staring up at him with those big blue eyes of his. He still had little traces of baby fat and his blonde hair came down well over his eyebrows; an adorable little boy with pink cheeks and dimples.  
  
"Because she has gone off to a place very far away," Fujitaka replied, trying his best to explain why Sakura wasn't coming back anymore.  
  
"Will I ever see her again?" he asked sadly.  
  
"Maybe. . . in a couple of decades, I hope. . ." From the way of how distant his eyes looked, one could not tell if he was addressing the boy or talking to himself.  
  
The mother gave him a look of understanding and sympathy. She reached up and gave him a pat on his hand. Since the horse was tall and she stout, she had to practically tip-toe in order to reach his hand. (A/N: hehe. Makes me feel taller. ;p) She had been pretty, once, but the hard times that had come to pass, fortunately, brought a look of weariness to her brown eyes and a little gray in her hair. Her husband had also died in the war, so her eyes seemed dull, having lost its life. He nodded appreciatively and signaled for them to ride on.  
  
Moments after, they spotted the White Palace, with a smaller but no less impenetrable wall surrounding it. True to its name, it was indeed white, and shimmering under the grand and glorious sun in its zenith. It seemed ironic to them how the weather clashed with their mood. They half-expected it to be raining. As they approached the gate, it opened to let them in and a messenger ran out to greet them.  
  
"Welcome, Great General," the messenger greeted, a fist on his chest and down on one knee, bowing.  
  
Fujitaka gestured for him to rise and he complied. He was a tall and lanky youth not much older than twenty with brown curls and matching brown eyes. His uniform consisted of white and blue livery. Breathing hard, Fujitaka could tell that he had been running hastily to inform him of something. The tightness of his face confirmed it. There was a worried light in his eyes and his livery was damp with sweat despite the cool weather.  
  
"What news have you to inform me that is so important that you couldn't wait until I reached the castle?" Fujitaka inquired.  
  
The messenger seemed surprised that Fujitaka knew that it was urgent but quickly shook it off. "Advisor Clow Reed wants you to come to him in the Throne Room as soon as possible."  
  
"Can't this wait?"  
  
"I'm afraid not."  
  
"Very well, then. Run ahead and notify him that I will be there shortly."  
  
The youth bowed, fist to his chest, and ran back to the castle, his livery billowing behind him. Fujitaka clicked his tongue to urge his horse on and the rest followed. As soon as everyone went inside, the guards shut the gate behind them. They rode towards to the castle at a steady pace, neither hurrying nor meandering. They soon reached the entrance to the castle and the doors opened to welcome them in. Getting off their horse, they nodded to the two guards and went inside.  
  
The Grand Hall was superb, with its high ceiling and lit candles on either side of the room. The massive rug beneath their feet had a picture of a fearsome dragon and ferocious tiger in the midst of battle inside a symbol of the ying-yang. Servants scurried about here and there, doing chores. A young violet-eyed maiden was tending a vase of flowers caringly when she turned around and saw them in the doorway. A look of shock and excitement struck her face as she forgot what she was doing and ran up to them.  
  
"Uncle Fujitaka!" she exclaimed happily as she embraced him in a warm hug, "You're home!"  
  
He released her and smiled affectionately at his lovely niece. He ruffled her lavender hair and stroke her creamy cheek. She reminded him much of Sakura. They were very close friends and never had a cross word for one another.  
  
"Hello Tomoyo," he greeted.  
  
"Hi, Touya! Hi -'' she was about to say Sakura but then realized she was not present. "Um. . . where is Sakura? Is she in the Outer City?" (A/N: once agen, as I have tol u b4, I m NOT good at naming things. So plz don't laugh, even though im laughing at myself rite now. Lol.)  
  
Fujitaka closed his eyes and sighed sullenly, holding back the tears that threatened to spill.  
  
"Sakura. . . is dead. . . she was captured by the Black Fox," Touya answered.  
  
"What?. . . No!" Tomoyo gasped, stunned. Then looked at Fujitaka searchingly.  
  
"You two may go and do as you please now," Touya addressed the two guards that accompanied them.  
  
They nodded and swept him a formal bow then left.  
  
"I'm afraid it's true," Fujitaka said grimly, his eyes downcast.  
  
Tomoyo let out a sob and ran away to the direction to her chamber. Servants nearby stopped their work and looked her way, then stared at Fujitaka and Touya. What had made the kind and calm Tomoyo cry? Touya made as to go after her but Fujitaka grabbed his sleeve and stopped him.  
  
"Let her be alone, she needs to deal with this, as we do," Fujitaka advised him.  
  
Touya nodded understandingly. Then the two made their way up the long winding stairs to the Throne Room, where Clow Reed was waiting for them.  
  
The Throne Room was a smaller version of the Grand Hall, except there was a throne in the middle of the room composed of white marble. Clow Reed stood to the right of the throne while another advisor, a magician, stood to the left. Reed was clad in white whereas the magician was covered in black. Reed was a tall man, with black hair and blue piercing eyes that seemed to know everything. His eyes seemed more knowing behind his spectacles. The magician, on the other hand, was short and frail, his face hidden behind a hood. No one has been able to see how his face really looked like, not even the king.  
  
"You wished to speak with me?" Fujitaka inquired.  
  
"Yes, we must speak to you concerning the succession of the throne," Reed stated.  
  
"But the king is not dead yet. . ."  
  
"Fujitaka. . . after you left to visit. . . ahem, her grave. . . he caught a mysterious illness and died. Since he had no siblings or children, and you are his cousin, you are most fit to be king."  
  
They bowed down to him as he stood there, speechless. The soldiers lining both sides of the room knelt down also and chanted, "All hail King Fujitaka, long live the king." (A/N: yea yea corny and so-not-original phrase I no. . .-_-u)  
  
Recovering his senses, he walked slowly and hesitantly to the throne and sat down. Seeing that, Touya ceased standing there and looking dumb and got down on his knees. 'Oh my gosh, I'm a prince!' (A/N: nooooo really???)  
  
Getting up, Reed looked around for Sakura, but failed to see her here. "Your Majesty, where is Princess Sakura?"  
  
Unfamiliar to hearing anyone calling him Majesty, he didn't notice that Reed was talking to him and continued staring straight ahead, lost in his own thoughts.  
  
"Your Majesty?" Reed's voice held concern as he placed a hand on Fujitaka's shoulder.  
  
Startled and jerked out of his thoughts, Fujitaka spun around to face him.  
  
"May I ask where Princess Sakura is, Your Majesty?" Reed repeated himself.  
  
"Oh. . . well, you see. . . Sakura was captured by the Black Fox. . ."  
  
At the mention of the Black Fox, the guards shifted their feet uneasily. Once famous knights of high standing, they were assigned to capture the leader. Not only did they fail but were outsmarted by the gang. The only reason they kept their heads was that Reed interfered and calmed the former king down. Thus, they were demoted to being guards for the king.  
  
Sympathy and pain entered Reed's face. After all, he knew Sakura ever since she was still in the cradle and looked at her as the daughter he never had, as he did Tomoyo.  
  
"It looks as if mourning would have to wait. Right now we have to present you to the people as the new king before riots start and some fool decides to seize the throne," the hooded figure in black said without the slightest touch of sympathy in his voice.  
  
"Yes, I suppose you're right," Fujitaka agreed.  
  
And so Fujitaka and Touya marched outside to the balcony, followed by the two advisors and twelve ex-knights.  
  
"Hear me, people of Tomedea!" the magician roared, using magic to carry his voice throughout the land, "I present to you, humble citizens, your new king, King Fujitaka Kinomoto!"  
  
People in the streets cheered loudly, joined by those inside houses peeking out of windows to see what was going on. They cheered not only for Fujitaka, but for themselves as well, for Fujitaka was nothing like the old king, now deceased, and their lives would be much better from now on. Soon the cheering died down and Fujitaka went back inside, followed by everyone else.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
After a very long day of informing Fujitaka of the past events that he'd missed, Reed finally retreated to his chamber. Closing the door behind him, he took off his spectacles and rubbed his eyes, then came face to face with his wife, Kaho. (A/N: LOL! Kaho!!! Omg that's funni! Ahem. . . ok. . . ill regain my dignity now. . . yes, I no tat sum of u mite not agree w/ me makin kaho his wife but I needed her 2 b SUMTIN. After all, im TRYIN 2 include all t cast of ccs in here, but it seems like I wont b able 2 do that. . . hmm. . . unless. . . *chews on an idea that just popped in2 head* well newayz, shes gonna play a impt part in this story.) Kaho had reddish- orange hair that shone like the sun's rays during sunset. Her golden cat's eye seemed to probe into you, searching. Tall and slender, she was really pretty.  
  
"So how did it go?" she inquired.  
  
"A bit tiring. Fujitaka doesn't know the first thing about being a king. I fear that he will easily be persuaded by the other advisor," Reed stated.  
  
"Why didn't you think of a plan to get rid of him a long time ago? I knew from the first time I laid eyes on him that he was up to no good."  
  
"Don't you think I tried? But he was too clever and had the former king wrapped around his finger."  
  
"I don't understand, I know you have magic, powerful magic, but yet you don't let that show. Why?"  
  
"Because I don't want anyone to know. . . not yet anyways. . ."  
  
Suddenly Kaho stiffened and her eyes went dull. Noticing, Reed forgot all about his weariness. After awhile, the dullness disappeared and she became normal again. This usually happened when she had the Foretelling, which was not very often. The talent enabled her to see into the future.  
  
"What did you see?" Reed asked anxiously, as she only got it if a situation was dire.  
  
"Darkness covered the land, but was defeated by the Light Princess. The Final Battle is coming soon. . ." she recited from memory.  
  
Outside the door, a spy listened closely to what was being said. Luckily, he had not arrived soon enough to hear them discussing Reed being a sorcerer. After he obtained the information bout the light outshining darkness, he quickly ran to report what he had heard.  
  
"You realized that there is a spy outside our door, do you not?" Kaho said.  
  
"Of course I do. But do not fear, I have warded the room from eavesdropping. All he'd heard is your prediction, which I intended him to hear," Reed said casually.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"So. . . she claims that I will be defeated does she. . ." the man laughed malevolently. Then eyed the spy sinisterly. A spy can never be trusted to not tell someone else. . .  
  
In the night, under the crescent moon, a shriek was heard and all was still. . .  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Meiling walked alongside Yelan and her four daughters, weary from all that walking around and excitement. It seems as if she had finally used up all her energy, what with all that being dragged around like a rag doll by the four crazy girls.  
  
"I'm tired!" Meiling whined, "Can I go home now?"  
  
"Yes, it's getting late isn't it?" Yelan acknowledged, "We should all head back now."  
  
"Aw, but Mother!" the four sisters wailed, "There's so much left for us to do! Must we leave so early?"  
  
"Early?!" Meiling exclaimed bewilderingly, "What are you talking about?! The sun set hours ago! And we must've walked miles going around this town! This is hopeless, you guys never seem to run out of energy." Meiling threw up her hands, exasperated. "What did you people do, eat a bowl of sugar before we left?"  
  
"Oh, doesn't she look cute when she gets angry?" Feimei stated, laughing. Then reached out a hand and pinched Meiling's cheek.  
  
"DON'T call me cute. And how many times have I told you to not pinch my cheek? It's annoying!" She put on a scowl that nearly rivaled Syaoran's and rubbed her now red cheek.  
  
Her outburst only caused the four of them to burst out laughing.  
  
"Do calm down, Meiling," Yelan scolded sharply, then in a much cooler tone said, "we are going home right now, and I do not want any arguments from any of you. And I'm sure that Syaoran and Sakura are home by now, waiting for us."  
  
Meiling lifted her chin up and smiled haughtily, satisfied while the sisters pouted. They left the town and proceeded home. Meiling walked with them half a mile then left them to go home since her house was in another direction then where they were headed.  
  
Walking slowly through the thick and dark woods, Meiling was unaware that someone was following her.  
  
Whoohoo finally done w/ this chap. Wow, I made it KINDA long. . . o wellz I guess that makes up 4 t delay just a bit. N im very sorry 4 t delay. Ill try ta update sooner next time instead of waiting 4 a month or so. . . newayz, u should b happy cherry tenshi cuz I didn't leave a cliffhanger this time. Lol, jk. Welps, I don't got much 2 say now cept leave a review plz. Buh baiz! ^-^ 


	12. Captured

alrite I finally have time 2 work on my fic! ^-^ wai finals r comin up!! Me no like tests. . . specially major tests. . . -_- *sighs* great now I hafta really study. *mumbles* n another thing, im sick rite now so this chap may not b very well written n wont b so long since I have a lil headache rite now n its very hard 2 think. o yea I have another idea 4 a story n I think it has a pretty good plot but I wanna finish this story b4 I rite that 1. n I have a feelin this is gonna b a long story. . . like all my writin assignments. . . I really gotta learn howta make stuff succinct. . . -_-u but if u guys want I can rite it out rite now. Just tell me what u think in ur review n ill start on it rite away.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-aiya calm down!!! -_- N STOP COMPLAININ BOUT T CLIFFYS!!!! Sheesh. . . its not like im gonna stop putting up cliffys netime soon. N newayz. . . that wasn't really a cliffy ya no. at least I didn't end it where I was gonna. . . which would make u even more mad. Omg my author note was not mean. I alwayz say that. Just ask nhuy or glarie or ali or ne1 else that u no that nos me. Ever heard of sarcastic??? U no im really sarcastic. N YES it IS hard 4 SUM 2 imagine kaho bein clows wife. YES I DO no that Eriol was w/ kaho in t anime that was not dubbed but hey, that was ERIOL not CLOW. Even though hes t reincarnated form of clow hes still diff. n its kinda weird, not 2 mention sick, 4 eriol 2 b w/ a woman who can b his mom. Alrite alrite I no s+s n e+t 4ever u tol me so many times already!!! -_-u boy were u hyper when u were ritin t review. O n thank ur bro 4 me yea 4 getting u off t comp. dang this is a looooooong shoutout. Er. . . sowwies if I said netin mean or offensive but im REALLY tired n grouchy rite now.  
  
Crystal-thanx 4 that very encouragin review! ^-^  
  
Cherry blossom-o theres a reason im makin so mean. I don't wanna make him this mean either. . . cuz when I rite I try 2 feel what my char is feelin so I can make it more realistic. Ud b surprised how sad or angry I can get when im ritin these chaps. N syaos not evil either. If he was saku would b in a much more dire situation. Ull find out whos following meiling in this chap. Clow n kaho is good. That's y SUM1 sent a spy 2 listen in on their conv. O don't worry ull find out who sent t spy later on also. N this IS a s+s n e+t fic even though it doesn't look like it rite now. Like cherry tenshi says. . . s+s n e+t 4ever. Sides. . . I cant make them fall in luv TOO soon cuz 1.) t story will b dull cuz a lil conflict btwn them would make it more interesting n 2.) syao is not really a candidate 4 luv-at-1st- site thingys.  
  
Danielle Ngo-um. . . I never said I was gonna kill ne1. . . so does that mean t hit on me is off??? O yea. . . if u ever learn that can u teach it 2 me too??? Lol jk.  
  
SwTbAbEeGurL03-omg ur barely THAT far?!?!? Sheesh. . . u read slow. . . -_- u. HURRY UP!!! Don't make me go over there! Actually. . . I would go over there rite now if I don't have this stupid project due 2morow. . .  
  
sWeEtAzNaNgEl-sure, ill give u more. Just as soon as I can get on t comp 2 rite more tat is.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
"Captured"  
  
As Meiling made her way toward home, the person following her approached closer. Being less trained in martial arts than Syaoran, she had no idea she was being followed. A twig snapped and she whirled around, alert. All she saw was some black shadow moving from one tree to another quickly. Sensing danger, she turned around slowly and ran as fast as she could. At a glance behind, she saw someone in black with his face hidden chasing after her. Scared, she urged her legs to run faster. At the thought of being a frightened little girl her temper flared, being the choleric person that she is. She stopped in her tracks and spun around, ready to face the stranger. Surprised, he stopped abruptly or else would have bumped into her.  
  
"Stupid girl. . ." he smiled evilly.  
  
"Who are you calling stupid, you idiot?!" she demanded.  
  
"You of course, you see anyone else here?"  
  
"Yea, you!"  
  
Enraged, he charged at her and the fight began. Wanting to make this a quick fight, he aimed at her head in an attempt to knock her out. She ducked and did a sweep, tripping him. She was about to bring her leg down hard on his stomach when he flipped back and then did a round-house kick, which hit her. She fell down with a grunt but quickly rolled away. Getting back on her feet she saw him coming at her with a flying kick. She sidestepped and then did a series of kicks and punches in rapid succession, all of which he evaded. At one punch, he ducked down to dodge it and then grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. He then took a piece of cloth out from his pocket and pressed it firmly against her face. (A/N: cheater!!! .\_/.) Her free arm flung wildly as she struggled to escape, but to no avail. A second later she fell limp against him, unconscious.  
  
"You're overconfident and underestimate me, little girl," he chuckled. He swung her over his shoulder and strolled victoriously away.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
After carrying Sakura around for about half an hour, Syaoran's arms, though strong as they are, were getting tired and ached even though she was fairly light. At the sight of an odd-shaped boulder he let out a grateful sigh. Setting her down on the ground, he pushed the boulder away slowly. It revealed a hole and two masked man jumped out from under the ground. Recognizing Syaoran, they greeted him with a nod and gestured him to go down as they looked around warily, hands on hilt. Syaoran walked back and picked up Sakura once again.  
  
"Ay, she's a purtty one. Yer mind if we took care of 'er while yer restin'?" the two man laughed.  
  
Syaoran glared at them as he walked past them, silencing them both. He jumped down the hole and landed on a flat surface of hard dirt. The two men followed after him and rolled the boulder back into place by pulling on a chain connecting to it, making everything pitch black. After taking a torch, he climbed down the ridged ladder with Sakura on his back, taking care not to drop her twenty feet down. (A/N: whoa. . . if I hadda climb down a crooked stairs 20 ft high w/ a hand holdin a torch n t other t ladder w/ a person on my bak id freak.)  
  
Inside was dark and moist, with a dank smell in the air. The hideout had taken a long time to built, since it required so much digging. The process was retarded (A/N: lol. Hey I meant this as t real def of retarded, not t slang 1. look it up in t dictionary if u don't no t real meanin. I think it means to slow sumtin down or sumtin like that. . .) since they could only dig at night so they won't attract attention and people would find out where their hideout is. It was an intricately made labyrinth with many twists and turns. One could get lost down here forever should they not know the way. It was made like this so if the prisoners somehow managed to escape, they would have a really tough time making it out of here without starving to death. There were copious hideouts like this everywhere. As it was unsafe to have everyone gathered in one spot, there was no headquarters. If there was a headquarters and someone found them out, they would all be captured. (A/N: very clever leader huh???)  
  
Syaoran made his way to the dungeon and threw Sakura in a cell. Then went to the leader to report it.  
  
"Boss, I captured someone, a girl," Syaoran informed him.  
  
"Good job, Li. Looks like your family is safe this month. Now go away I have some important matters to attend to."  
  
"Very well, then," Syaoran said and left.  
  
"Boss, do you think it's safe to trust him?" Koi asked softly after Syaoran left.  
  
"No, but he's useful. I just wish that he doesn't fight so well. If he turns on us even I can't beat him. And besides, I don't really trust him. I would've captured this girl if I hadn't been knocked out. And when I woke up and sneaked away the person who saved her looked similar to Li. But I couldn't really tell because my vision was blurry and I had a headache. Plus, it was dark and he had his back towards me."  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
"Mother, Xiao Lang and Sakura haven't been home yet. They've been gone since yesterday!" Fuuti exclaimed anxiously.  
  
"Yes, Mother, do you think that something's happened to them?" Seifa agreed.  
  
"Don't worry, just give them some more time. I'm sure their just tired and couldn't make it back home yesterday," Yelan assured them.  
  
"I think we should go out and look for them," Fanren suggested worriedly.  
  
"Nonsense, they're fine. Now go do your chores. If they're not back here by sunup tomorrow we'll look for them, okay?"  
  
"Okay," they mumbled and dragged themselves to their tasks.  
  
'Xiao Lang, why did you do it? Why did you capture Sakura? I thought you had more heart than that. . . Oh, please follow your heart and do the right thing, my son. . .' Yelan prayed. (A/N: uh oh! Mother nos wat a bad boi uve been, syao! Lol.)  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Meiling woke up and saw that she was being carried somewhere by a man. Her memory came back to her and her temper flared. She kicked him in the stomach and jumped down while he was caught by surprised and clutched his stomach in pain. (A/N: she has a VERY strong kick. Lol. Poor him. . . NOT!!!) Looking at him in abhorrence, she did a roundhouse kick and hit his face. As he was on the ground, she ran away quickly.  
  
"Dammit!" he cussed under his breath, "If only she stayed unconscious for a little while longer!" (A/N: sowwies, but then agen, this IS a p-g 13 fic so theres swearin in here.)  
  
He got up and chased after when she was about ten feet away. He jumped on a low branch and jumped from tree to tree in order to catch up with her. when he was right atop her, he took out a powder from his pocket and flipped down in front of her, throwing the powder in her face. Having the same effect as the cloth, it knocked her unconscious as soon as she breathed it in. (A/N: dang, wonder if he can ever win her w/o cheatin. . .)  
  
"You've caused me a lot of trouble, (A/N: n pain! Hehe.) girl. So be thankful that I'm not killing you right on this spot," he spat.  
  
He picked her up once again and made his way to the same hideout Syaoran's in right now. Like Syaoran, he rolled the boulder away and made his way through the labyrinth. He stopped at the cell Sakura was in, opened it, and threw Meiling inside and slammed shut the bar after her.  
  
"Huh, looks like Syaoran caught someone too," he acknowledged at the sight of Sakura.  
  
As if on cue, Syaoran appeared right behind him as he turned around.  
  
"Oh hey, Syaoran, you caught someone too? Wow, two beautiful girls, the boss should be happy," he said.  
  
Syaoran didn't reply but he did look at his friend's captive and went wide-eyed. "You captured her?!" Syaoran scream.  
  
"Yeah, and I went through a lot of trouble and accumulated a lot of bruises doing that too," he told him.  
  
"Of course you did! Do you have any idea who you just captured?!"  
  
"No. . . why, should I care?"  
  
"Yes! She's Meiling, my cousin! Even though she's annoying I don't want her to be captured!"  
  
This time it was Meiling's captive turn to go wide-eyed. "Oh, no wonder she fought so well. . ."  
  
Syaoran calmed down and was about to say something when a feminine voice interrupted them.  
  
"Li? Is that you?"  
  
Syaoran turned towards the voice and saw that Sakura had woken up.  
  
Alrite dun! Now I gotta go relearn 260 vocab words. . . -_-. Wish me luck on thurs. . . *sighs* damn finals. . . 


	13. The Bitter Resentment of Betrayal

Im finally startin on dis chap. . . sori 4 t long wait. T finals weren't so bad but I didn't do as well on em as I would like. Shoulda study more. Lol. Hmm. . . it seems like I never get enuf time ta do t things I wanna do n t things I gotta do. Dat sux. . . -_- well enuf talking lets get on w/ t stori shall we since I no ur dyin 2 find out sakus reaction.  
  
Danielle Ngo-lol. Yup hes busted alrite. Don't worri I wont make him get in trouble TOO much.  
  
Cherry blossom-thx 4 t compliment. O I don't mind answerin ur ?s. if u have nemore feel free ta ask me.  
  
Crystal-hehe saku already saw him. N ull find out wut happens soon enuf.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-um. . . 4 sum1 hu don't got time 4 a long review that wuz a pretty long 1 2 me. O yea hows dat project goin? Thx 4 t good luck me gonna need it.  
  
UrFriendRichard-exactly how many times didcha send me dat review?? Um. . . no matter. . . just cont reading. Aww I don't dink I rite DAT good but thx newayz. N anotha thing I no t cliffys r annoyin. Lol. But at least u didn't hafta wait 2 find out wut happens afterwards. N don't worri I wont stop writin. Hey. . . if u sound like an eng teach den r u gonna gimme a grade 4 dis?? N wut bribe u want from me in order 4 me ta get an A??? hahah jk. Oooh lookie u finally learnt howta send jus 1 review!!! Good job!! Lol jk.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
"The Bitter Resentment of Betrayal"  
  
"Li, what are we doing here? What is this place?" Sakura asked while rubbing the back of her head where Syaoran had struck her.  
  
"Uh. . . um. . . I. . ." was all Syaoran managed to croak out since he did not have an excuse.  
  
Looking around, her eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness and she saw Meiling lying rite beside her. Letting out a gasp at seeing Meiling unconscious, Sakura crawled over to her and nudged her gently, trying to wake her up. When she saw no reaction, she nudged her harder, starting to panic.  
  
"Li, why are you just standing there?! Why won't you help me?!" Sakura demanded, now taking Meiling by the shoulders and shaking her forcefully.  
  
"Hey, Syaoran, you know this girl?" Meiling's captor asked.  
  
Nodding weakly was all Syaoran could do. His friend raised his eyebrow and gave him a quizzical look.  
  
'Dammit, (A/N:sorri!!) she's awake! But why do I feel guilty? So what if I know her, that doesn't make her any different from all the other girls!'  
  
At a more careful examination, Sakura realized that she and Meiling were behind bars.  
  
"What is the meaning of this?!" Sakura gasped, "And why aren't you doing anything?!"  
  
"You are getting so annoying!" said Fuh Lung, (A/N:I dink dat means Fire Dragon. . . or at least dats wut cherry tenshi says it is. . .) "Can't you just accept the fact that you and your friend there are captured?"  
  
"Captured?!" Sakura echoed, shocked. Then she looked accusingly at Syaoran, her face painted with pain and confusion. "Li, how could you?. . ."  
  
Her look was all Syaoran could take and remorse and guilt overwhelmed him, but he didn't let it show. He had put on his mask and was determined to not let anything leak through the surface.  
  
Gradually Meiling's eyes opened and she was conscious again.  
  
"Sakura?" Meiling called out softly.  
  
Sakura quickly whirled around and helped Meiling sit up.  
  
"Meiling, we are captured!" Sakura cried.  
  
"Yes, I know that, Sakura," said Meiling.  
  
Meiling looked around the place and saw Syaoran standing there with her captor unmasked. Realization struck her and she went wide-eyed.  
  
"Xiao Lang, please don't tell me that you were the one who captured Sakura. . ." Meiling whispered hopefully.  
  
"Of course he did," Fuh Lung answered for him.  
  
Meiling's temper flared and she stood up.  
  
"I can't believe you! I never would have thought that you would stoop low enough to join this low-life gang! What's worst is that you actually had the heart to captured Sakura! Wait, I'm sorry, you don't have a heart do you? Well at least this explains why you were so often gone from home! But it might as well be because you don't deserve a family such as yours! Argh, I can't believe we were so stupid enough as to trust you and not ask you where you went every time!" she screamed.  
  
"Shut up, girl!" Fuh Lung roared, "It would be wise to keep your mouth shut, seeing the predicament you're in."  
  
Syaoran held out a hand to stop him from saying anything else and said, "I'm sorry."  
  
"You're sorry?! Is that the best you can come up with?! And if you really ARE sorry you wouldn't have done it in the first place!" Meiling yelled.  
  
"Look, I said I was sorry alright and I am!" Syaoran growled, like a wolf losing it's temper, "I never meant for any of this to happen but it did anyway! As for me joining the gang, I had no choice! I had to do something to keep my family from starving to death! We couldn't keep on asking your family or Chiharu for food!"  
  
The three - Sakura, Meiling, and Fuh Lung - stood there wide-eyed and speechless. Never had they seen him lose his temper like this. And it frightened them.  
  
"Oh, Li. . ." whispered Sakura, a tear leaking out.  
  
Syaoran squeezed his eyes shut to regain his calm composure and his temper died down.  
  
"So what do you plan on doing now?" inquired Meiling, a bit haughtily, her temper also dying.  
  
"First of all, I plan to get you both out of here," Syaoran stated, glaring at Fuh Lung, who shrugged and put on an apologetic face.  
  
"Wait, then why did you bother capturing her in the first place?" Fuh Lung nodded towards Sakura.  
  
"Because I needed someone for this month," Syaoran stated matter-of-factly.  
  
At that time, Syaoran heard faint and distant footsteps coming their way.  
  
"Damn, (A/N: agen. . . dis is a pg13 fic so yes dere r swearin. I think dis is t last time im gonna put dis message up. Getting tired of it n I think every1 else r 2) some people, two of them, are heading this way. C'mon Fuh Lung we've got to leave," Syaoran told them.  
  
"Wait, Li, don't leave us here. . ." Sakura implored, tearing up.  
  
"I'll come back for you two later," said Syaoran, his face softening. He and Fuh Lung then slid away into the shadows.  
  
A minute later, the leader and Koi came in sight.  
  
"Hmm. . . two beautiful girls, from Syaoran and Fuh Lung I'm guessing. They did a good job," stated the leader, (A/N: ugh. . . pervert. . . hate him, even though hes my own creation. Sum1 remind me 2 make him suffer in t end yea. O n koi 2) "Open it, Koi."  
  
Koi quickly rushed to open up the bars, being the suck-up that he is. When he walked inside, he abruptly seized Sakura by her wrist and attempted to drag her off with him. She resisted and Meiling tried to aide her but he slapped her hard away and Koi blocked her from making another attempt.  
  
"Oh, don't be so eager, you'll get your chance," said Koi, grinning maliciously. (A/N: *face of disgust* ugh. . . )  
  
Suddenly two people jumped out from the shadows with their face masked and kicked Koi and the leader in the back of the head, knocking them out cold. Meiling looked up in wonder at the two but Sakura was too distraught to notice anything. She crawled into a corner, shaking uncontrollably, and huddled there when she felt the leader loosen his grip, not noticing why he loosened it. (A/N: wow. . . im jus picturing dis scene in my mind n its such a sad n pitiful 1. . . I dink dis stori is 2 dramatic at times. . . -_- u)  
  
"Oh, poor Sakura," whispered Meiling sympathetically seeing the state Sakura was in.  
  
One of the masked men walked over to Sakura and tried to comfort her. But as soon as he laid a hand on her shoulder she squirmed and tried to fend him off.  
  
"Hey, don't you dare go near her!" yelled Meiling.  
  
"Oh, shut up already, little girl," said the one who kicked Koi, annoyed. He then removed his mask and revealed himself as Fuh Lung, which made Meiling sigh with relief.  
  
"Hey, Xiao Lang, I think you should take off your mask too. You're frightening Sakura," Meiling told him.  
  
Quickly Syaoran took off his mask. Then he grabbed Sakura by the shoulders, trying to calm her down.  
  
"Li?" Sakura whispered in acknowledgement.  
  
Syaoran nodded and smiled, the ice in his eyes dissolving. (A/N: *gasps* he smiled!!! O_O omg he actually smiled!! *pinches self 2 make sure dis isn't a dream* hehehe sorri. Yes, he smiled. N he saved saku 2. dere u happy ppl??? As it turned out ur precious syao isn't bad.)  
  
"Oh, Li, I was so scared. . ." said Sakura, near tears.  
  
Unexpectedly Sakura's hand collided with Syaoran's cheek hard; she had slapped him. (A/N: very hard mite I add. *winks*) Meiling and Fuh Lung gasped while Syaoran stood there unblinkingly, in shock.  
  
"That was for locking me and Meiling in here! How could you?! I can't believe I thought you were a nice person!" yelled a very angry and distressed Sakura. (A/N: whoa. . . dis is so ooc. I don't think saku would ever slap ne1, no matter wut they did. But o wellz dis is my fic. N sides. . . im kinda mad at syao. Lol.) She raised her hand as in to slap him again but when she saw that he did nothing and just stood there waiting for it, she let it drop and burst out into tears. All the anger, frustration, and tears she had pent up inside finally vented itself. With all that fury, it was like a volcano waiting to explode. It was bound to happen and this might as well be the time.  
  
Her outburst stunned everyone and they all stared at her, speechless. Once Syaoran regained his senses, his face had a sympathetic frown and his eyes filled with sorrow, making it shine. For once in a very long time he's shown some sign of having human emotions. Slowly he put his arms around her and pulled her into a tight and comforting hug while she sobbed onto his shoulder. His hug made her feel warm and secure, like she's being safe and protected by someone strong. (A/N: aww. . . fluff moment!!! ^^ dere I guess dat make up 4 da lack of s+s moments a lil huh?? Very kute scene if u can picture it. Lol)  
  
"Shh. . . everything's okay now, you're safe," Syaoran assured her.  
  
Once again Meiling and Fuh Lung were shocked. Syaoran had actually hugged someone! But afterwards they got over the shock and they smiled.  
  
"Li, I'm so sorry. . . I never meant to slap you or yell at you like that. Forgive me?" Sakura asked softly, still crying and soaking his shirt with her salty tears.  
  
"It's alright, Sakura. I deserved it," he reassured her. His voice sounded warm and soothing, not cold and distant. (A/N: um. . . is dis even da same syao nemore????)  
  
Comforted by his words, she looked up at him and smiled, her outflow of tears gradually stopping. She looked very beautiful with her eyes sparkling with tears. Of course, her smile made him blush and he realized that he was still hugging her, which then made him release her as if she was on fire and jumped back, making Meiling and Fuh Lung laugh.  
  
"Hey, Syaoran, are you just going to stand there blushing like an idiot or can we get out of here?" teased Fuh Lung.  
  
"Huh? Wha? Oh, yea, let's go," agreed Syaoran.  
  
Giggling behind her hands, Meiling winked at Sakura but she just gave Meiling a quizzical look, not comprehending what Meiling was trying to tell her.  
  
As they were walking out of the cell they saw two people heading their way with their face masked. The two saw the leader and Koi unconscious on the floor and Syaoran and Fuh Lung helping the prisoners escape and froze. One was about to raise an alarm but the other one next to him grasped him in a sleeper hold and he fell limp to the floor.  
  
Ooh. . . wuts dis?? Dey have an ally??? Lol. Sorri 4 endin it here but I needa do my hw. Da next scene would take too long. Damn math. . . _. Newayz. . . my offer 4 startin on ma next stori is still open if u guyz wanna read it now. If not, den ill jus finish dis 1st den start on dat. Makes it easier 4 me newayz. . . wow a hole chap focused on jus 1 scene n location. . . kool!!^^ o lookie I made syao b nice 4 once!!! O_O r u guyz satisfied??? Hahah. Heheheheeh syao hugged saku!!! *chants dis in a singsong voice ova n ova agen til bro gets annoyed n wacks me on da head* heeeeyyyy!!!! Dat hurts!!!! *sticks out tongue at bro n pouts* bro: *sighs n shakes head* aiyah. . . da lil pest I must deal w/. . . y me?? Me: im not a pest u meanie!!! *gives him evil eye* bro: go do ur hw n stop buggin me I wanna use da comp. welpz u heard him ppl I gtg now so bai!!! 


	14. Freedom Comes at a Price

Omg im so very sorri dat I didn't update sooner!!! Wow. . . its been almost 3 months!! once agen, im sorri. . . but my teachs have been stricter den eva n is pilin more work n tests on me. N my afta-skool sports doesn't really leave me much time 4 nethin else. . . *sighs* da only reason I have time ta work on dis fic is cuz its spring break rite now. ^^ so im tryin ta post up at least 1 more chap durin dis free time. Muiii. . . I wish it wuz summer already. I miss summer. . . o btw, dis chap includes a major fite scene. Hehe. . . hope u enjoy it.  
  
Richard- dat wuz a cliffy. . . like all da otha endins in dis story so far. Eheheh. . .  
  
Richard- thx. Dat wuz my goal 4 da fite. N erm. . . sorri ta disappoint u but u sound nuthin like a eng teach. Lol.  
  
Mesmer- ok. . . now U sound like an eng teach. Lol. But dats aite!! I need sum1 ta point out my mistakes n criticize me lightly. . .^-^u yes. . . I no I have lots of grammatical errors. . . but I haven't really been lookin em ova n correctin em. Ive been tryin ta finish da chaps as fast as I can. Yep I no bein descriptive is good. But I think im bein a lil too descriptive sumtimes.  
  
Cherry blossom- heyz, thx 4 readin my fic. Appreciate it. O ull find out hu da ally is rite now, when Im dun w/ shout outs.  
  
Danielle ngo- thx 4 da review.  
  
Crystal-chan- haha c I tol u syao isn't dat bad. . . n if saku wasn't so dense den where will all da fun b?? n sure ill tryta make dis chap longer n have more s+s moments.  
  
a/n: erm. . . cherry tenshi wheres ur review??? Man. . . r u seriously DAT busy?? -_-u bah. . . ehz wellz, I guess 1 chap w/o ur review wont hurt. . . o n im really tired rite now so dis chap is not gonna b really well written. O n uh. . . u guyz r gonna hate me 4 wut imma do ta saku. . . but ill make up 4 it!!! Promise!! So don't kill me.  
  
Chapter 13  
  
"Freedom Comes at a Price"  
  
The group stopped abruptly and eyed the masked man who helped them out. Syaoran placed himself in front of Sakura, his sword out, ready to protect her in case the guy tried anything. Slowly, careful not to make any sudden moves, the mysterious man removed his mask and revealed himself.  
  
"Eriol?!" Fuh Lung questioned incredulously.  
  
"Who else did you think it was?" Eriol grinned.  
  
"Of course it's Eriol," stated Syaoran dryly, sheathing his sword, "he makes it a habit to pop up unexpectedly and thinks it's a great joke."  
  
"So how have you been?" asked Fuh Lung, "I haven't seen you in a long time."  
  
At that, the three boys begin talking and forgot about their escape and the girls. Meiling stood there speechless, gaping, wondering if they were out of their minds.  
  
"Are you guys crazy?! We're in a life-and-death situation and yet you're standing here chatting like hens?!" shouted Meiling.  
  
The three boys blinked and stopped their conversation to look at her.  
  
"Oh, oops I forgot." Eriol chuckled sheepishly. "It's just that we've never had to run for our lives looking for a way out of here. Anyway, follow me."  
  
Eriol led the way as the rest trailed along behind him. Since the path was really narrow, only two of them can walk side by side. Syaoran stayed close to Sakura to make sure nothing would happen to her while Meiling had to walk next to Fuh Lung. They weren't exactly happy with the arrangement and glowered at each other every five minutes. (a/n: ah. . . da beginning of a beautiful relationship. . . ;p)  
  
Out of nowhere a high-pitched ringing sound broke the silence of the labyrinth, making them all freeze. The boys' eyes widen as they recognized the sound.  
  
"Shit, they've found the bodies!" Syaoran exclaimed, "We have to make a run for it if we ever want to make it out of here alive. All the exits will be sealed soon."  
  
At that remark, the group began making a run for the exit down the winding passage. Abruptly Syaoran pushed Sakura into a corner and Fuh Lung did the same to Meiling.  
  
"Hey, what -'' Meiling began protesting but was cut off by a hand over her mouth.  
  
"Shut up!" Fuh Lung hissed, "Can't you see that there are guards passing by?!"  
  
They stayed that way until Eriol motioned for them to come out of hiding. It wasn't until then that Fuh Lung lowered his hand away from her mouth.  
  
"Sorry. . ." Meiling apologized meekly, blushing at her outburst.  
  
Seeing that the stubborn girl had apologized, Fuh Lung wore a complacent smirk.  
  
Unfortunately, not all the guards had past by as Eriol had thought. One of the guards saw them and an alarm arose. Thus began their desperate run for freedom.  
  
When they were about one hundred meters away from the exit, a band of about ten masked men jumped out from the shadows, their weapons drawn. Seeing this, Syaoran quickly wrapped a kerchief over Sakura's nose and mouth and Fuh Lung did the same for Meiling. Then the boys put on their masks just as white powder, the same one Fuh Lung had used on Meiling, came flying at them from every directions. Thanks to the kerchief, they didn't get knocked out unconscious. But the powder was the least of their problems since by now they were surrounded by guards on both sides; four behind them, facing Eriol, and six in front of them, facing Fuh Lung and Syaoran. Since the passageway was narrow, only two guards can advance at the same time.  
  
Eriol, Syaoran, and Fuh Lung made a circle outside the two girls, swords drawn and ready to fight.  
  
"Geez, Syaoran, why is it that every time I decide to pay you a visit, you're always in some kind of trouble and need me to get you out of it?" joked Eriol. (a/n: man, even at a time like dis he jus hadda crack a joke. . . -_-u)  
  
"Shut it, Eriol!" Syaoran growled.  
  
Afraid that someone was going to get hurt, Sakura let out a small whimper. But Meiling, however, had a look of defiance in her eyes and showed no visible sign of fear.  
  
~`*~Syaoran's P.O.V.~`*~  
  
A guy came charging towards me so I got into a fighting stance and held my ground, hoping that Sakura and Meiling wouldn't get hurt. He brought his mace up and swung it down towards my head but I brought my sword up and blocked just in time. Then, still blocking his mace, I kneed him in the stomach and he fell. He attempted to trip me but I jumped and drop-kicked him. What a weakling, he couldn't even last against me for five minutes. I prepared to bring the tip of my sword down into his stomach as he laid there but then I heard Sakura shout at me.  
  
"Li, no! Don't kill him!" she begged with those pleading eyes of hers.  
  
Of course how could I resist such a pair of eyes? So I knocked him out with the handle instead. As soon as I finished dealing with him, another guy came charging up and took his place, making a futile attempt to capture me. . .  
  
~`*~Fuh Lung's P.O.V.~`*~  
  
A yell distracted me and I looked back to see that it had been Sakura. Suddenly Meiling's leg shot out and I quickly ducked.  
  
"What are you crazy, woman?!" I shouted at her.  
  
"It wasn't you I tried to kick," she scoffed, "it was the guy behind you. You know, you should really pay more attention to your opponent.  
  
I looked back and saw the guy Meiling kicked was unconscious. She grabbed his sword and looked at it thoughtfully.  
  
"Thanks," I smiled at her.  
  
"Let's just say we're even," she grinned and joined Eriol in fighting the four guards.  
  
~`*~Eriol's P.O.V.~`*~  
  
A minute after Sakura yelled, Meiling came up beside me, helping me fight them off.  
  
"Thanks," I nodded appreciatively.  
  
She nodded in acknowledgement and got ready to fight the remaining two guards, getting in a fighting stance much similar to Syaoran's.  
  
A guy charged towards me with his staff raised and since I wanted to get this over with quickly, I ducked when he swung the staff, grabbed it out from his own hands, and knocked him unconscious with his very own staff. Then I proceeded to watch how good this Meiling actually fights.  
  
~`*~ Meiling's P.O.V.~`*~  
  
This stupid guy with his chain came charging towards me and he swung the chain at me. Of course, that was a dumb thing to do. I held the sword vertically out in front of me, tip pointing down, and let the chain wrap itself around the handle. When I made sure the chain was fastened onto the sword, I drove the sword down hard into the ground, making it stuck there. The idiot had no idea what I was doing and was still holding onto the other end of the chain. I then jumped onto the chain and balanced myself on it, running towards him atop of it. When I got about ten feet away from him, I jumped up off the chain, doing a back flip, and did a round-house kick. He staggered back and dropped his chain. He tried to punch me but I leaned back and dodged the punch. Smirking at his slow reflexes, I did a spinning kick, and then quickly followed it with an uppercut. He got lucky and managed to duck, missing the uppercut, and kicked me in the stomach. As I got caught off guard, he took the time to his advantage and twisted my arm behind my back, using his other arm to choke me. Fortunately I was able to free myself my stomping on his foot and then jabbed him in the stomach with my elbow. He loosened his hold on me and I manage to do a back flip over his head and landed behind him. When I landed, I quickly did a back kick. After that I grabbed his arm and flipped him. He took a hard fall and let out a grunt. The idiot, he didn't know when to give up and attempted to get back up on his feet. Tired of fooling around, I gave him a blow to his pressure point and knocked him out cold. Dusting of my hands, I heard a clap behind and saw Eriol applauding me for my so-called fight.  
  
"You fight very well," he complimented.  
  
I performed a mock bow and grinned smugly. "It was nothing. That guy was a weakling."  
  
~`*~Sakura's P.O.V.~`*~  
  
I watched in horror and fear as the battle raged on in front of me, as well as behind me. Every time I saw someone take a blow I winced, even though they were our enemy. It didn't matter to me, they were humans too. As Syaoran finished off another guard, one more took his place and they began fighting. That leaves three more to go. Since Syaoran was busy fighting a guard, he didn't notice the guy in the shadows with his bow drawn, an arrow aimed at his chest. I saw him release the arrow and went white.  
  
"Li!" I cried, "Watch out!"  
  
I desperately flung my arms onto his neck and placed my body in front of his, pushing him back. In doing so, I took the hit for him; the arrowed pierced my back as I cried out in pain. Everyone saw what happened and Syaoran dragged my limp body back behind Fuh Lung to where Meiling was while Eriol took his place in fending off the reminding guards.  
  
"Sakura?" I heard Syaoran say, his voice quivering, "Sakura, don't die on me!"  
  
His concerned face and voice was the last thing I saw and heard before drifting off into the welcoming darkness. . .  
  
~`*~Normal P.O.V.~`*~  
  
"No, Sakura!" Syaoran cried, "Why did you do that for?! Why did you block the arrow for me?"  
  
Meiling was surprised that he called her by her first name but decided that right now would not be a good time to point that out.  
  
"Oh, poor Sakura, she's been through so much. . ." Meiling whispered.  
  
Syaoran kneeled beside her, stroking her cheek and hair, mumbling the same question over and over. Pretty soon, Eriol and Fuh Lung together finished off the rest of the guards and joined Syaoran and Meiling. Eriol kneeled down beside Syaoran to check her wound.  
  
"This is not a deeply punctured wound. But I'm afraid that he had coated the arrow with poison. She'll survive, but only if we get her out of this place now and get some herbs to treat her wound with," Eriol told them.  
  
"Alright then," Syaoran nodded, "we're getting her out of this horrid place right now."  
  
Syaoran broke off the top of the arrow carefully as to not penetrate her gash any deeper and slowly picked her up. Her head rested comfortable against his strong chest as he ran towards the exit with her in his arms.  
  
This exit was different from the one he came in from. It had steps instead of a ladder so he didn't have to climb. Also, there was a secret button he had to push to open the door. Since there were many entrances, only a few people knew the trick of opening or closing a door. Eriol happened to know where the secret button was and pressed it. The opening of the door welcomed in fresh air and nearly blinding light while letting them out.  
  
As soon as they got out, they ran straight into the woods in hopes of losing the gang if they were being followed. Once they were sure they were a safe distance away from the exit, Syaoran gently laid Sakura down on the soft dirt.  
  
"Eriol, go find the herb, quickly!" he ordered, "Meiling and Fuh Lung, I need you guys to go find some firewood for tonight."  
  
Eriol nodded and hurried off without a minute's hesitation while Meiling and Fuh Lung did the same after giving each other a glare.  
  
Syaoran placed Sakura's head on his lap and stroked her hair, all the while mumbling, "It'll be alright, Sakura. . ." over and over again, thinking that she's still unconscious.  
  
"I know it will. . ." Sakura whispered softly, barely audible, startling him, "I've got you here to protect me. You won't let anything happen to me, right?"  
  
"No, no I won't, I promise. . ." (a/n: aaah dis is soooo mushy n cheesy!! )  
  
Sakura smiled and slowly opened her eyes.  
  
"So can I call you Syaoran now?"  
  
"Huh. . .?"  
  
"You called me Sakura, so does this mean that I can call you by your first name now?"  
  
"Sure. . ." Syaoran chuckled.  
  
At this, she closed her eyes again and went back to sleep.  
  
YAY IM DUN IM DUN IM FINALLY DUN!!! w/ dis chap newayz. . . wow it took me a week ta finish dis. . . o hey dis chap is kinda longer. n OMG DERES NO CLIFFY!! *gasps* I must b feelin nice. . . bro: *monotone voice* wow it's a miracle. . . now go eat. Me: aww. . . fine. . . welps, cyaz pplz!! ^^ 


	15. The Beginning of a Beautiful Relationshi...

ok. . . da exciting part finally begins. . . -.- hmm. . . yay tennis tryouts is almost comin!! ^^ gotta start practicing. . . o btw, I no summa is comin soon but even if its summa I mite not b able to update as fast as I used to wen I barely begin dis fic. . . sorri!! I have summa skool n tons of otha things ta do durin da summa. -.- also, im sick n don't feel really well rite now so if my ritin is not as good, den im sorri. If u want me to email u when I updated then leave ur email in ur review, along w/ any comments/suggestions u have.  
  
Cherry Tenshi-YAY U REVIEWED!! So ur not bz nemore?? Kuuu. Muiii its not DAT surprising dat deres no cliffy. . . u cant expect me ta keep on putting cliffys 4eva. Alrite alrite s+s n e+t moments will come. Geez calm down. N saku is not a fraidy cat. . . ok I admit dat ive made her seem kinda. . . vulnerable n fragile. . . but if shes a fraidy cat she neva woulda blocked da arrow in da 1st place. But thx 4 pointin dat out! ^^ ill tryta watch wut I rite more carefully. Gosh, how can u wake up DAT early?? Lol. I neva wake up early unless its mandatory. I want my precious sleepin time!! :P  
  
Chico0221-thx 4 ur reviews n ill update ASAP.  
  
CCS-lol aww don't worry I wont stop dis story. . . it juz takes me awhile ta update dats all. . .  
  
Illusioner 1412-thx 4 da compliment n I promise da next chap will come out sooner den 2 months. . . lol  
  
Sakura and Syaoran for ev-thx 4 da review  
  
Sakura lova-thx 4 ur reviews  
  
Chapter 14  
  
"The Beginning of a Beautiful Relationship"  
  
One could feel the tension in the air as it weighed down nature. The birds weren't singing and everything was strangely quiet save the sound of shuffling feet. Meiling and Fuh Lung glowered at each other as they walked with one another with a distance of ten feet in between them. Occasionally there would be some insults thrown back and forth, followed by Meiling sticking her tongue out at Fuh Lung and him making a face at her. This was truly a sophisticated and mature fight. (a/n: dere getting along really well don't u think?)  
  
"Stupid Xiao Lang," Meiling mumbled bitterly under her breath, "making me go look for firewood with this stupid guy."  
  
"Hey, it's not like I enjoy it you know," retorted Fuh Lung.  
  
"You heard that?" Meiling blinked in surprise.  
  
"Of course I did; I trained my senses and heightened them."  
  
"Well good for you."  
  
When they'd gathered a sufficient amount of twigs and branches, they stopped to take a short break and picked some fruits growing on some nearby trees to satisfy their hunger. While munching on her fruit, Meiling looked around and observed the scenery in front of her. It was then that she spotted two horses.  
  
One was a mare that was white with a long and beautiful mane and tail that was also white. She had a graceful air about her. The other one was a black stallion with a white stripe going down from his forehead to his nose. He had strong built and fierce looking eyes. From the looks of his confident pose and powerful muscles, he was definitely a warhorse.  
  
"Ooh. . . they're pretty. . ." Meiling marveled at the two horses as she carefully made her way towards them, making sure not to make any sudden noises or movements that would scare them away.  
  
She walked up to the black stallion and touched his nose gingerly. He snorted and neighed. Getting a daredevil look in her eyes, Meiling swung herself onto him even though she'd never had any experience on a horse before, much less a fierce warhorse.  
  
Once he felt her on his back he kicked wildly, determined to throw her off. Terrified, she hung onto his neck for dear life, screaming at the top of her lungs. After the stallion realized that she wasn't about to let go anytime soon, he started to take off, his powerful muscles making him go at an incredible speed.  
  
Fuh Lung blinked and looked dumbfounded as he looked on. As the incident registered in his mind he swore an oath and jumped onto the white mare, galloping after her.  
  
'Damn her, that stupid girl, why did she get on the horse for? If she gets hurt Syaoran is going to put a bounty on my head," Fuh Lung thought angrily at her stupidity.  
  
"Fuh Lung!!!!!! Help me-e-e-e-e-e!!!!!!!!!!" scream a terrified Meiling. (a/n: hmm. . . shes not actin like her normal prideful self. . . :P)  
  
Urging the mare on, Fuh Lung continued to chase after her. As he realized that the warhorse was much faster than the mare, he began to look for another way to rescue her. Reaching down the side of his waist, he pulled out a whip about fifteen feet long. He lashed it at a branch overhead and swung himself up and onto the warhorse, seating himself behind Meiling. He then wrapped one arm around her waist to keep her from falling off as his other hand grabbed onto the rein, pulling it back. Soon after, the horse came to a stop a whinnied. Both breathed a breath of relief and wiped the sweat off their foreheads.  
  
Thinking to thank him, Meiling turned around and for the first time got a really good look at him. He looked rather cute. . . A gentle zephyr ruffled his red untamed hair and his deep, entrancing golden eyes shone down on her, a smirk curving his lips upward.  
  
During this time, Fuh Lung also noticed her features for the first time since meeting, or rather, kidnapping her. The sun shone on her, making her raven black hair and fiery ruby eyes shine. Her cheeks were red, along with her dried, ripe lips.  
  
The horse suddenly snorted and snapped them back into reality. They became conscious of the arm that was around Meiling's waist and jerked away from each other, blushing furiously.  
  
"I. . . uh. . ." Fuh Lung stammered, looking at everywhere but her face while she seemed to be really interested in examining her fiddling hands.  
  
"Thank-you for saving me," said Meiling in a small voice. (a/n: my hero. . . hahah :P)  
  
"Huh? What? Oh, it was nothing," Fuh Lung smiled sheepishly.  
  
He made a smooth jump off the horse and started heading back to where he'd left the white mare. Meiling then got off the horse rather clumsily and trailed behind him, taking the warhorse along with her. Once they got there they were greeted with a peaceful sight of the white mare munching on some grass near a quiet and sparkling pond.  
  
"I think it's best we head back to Syaoran. He might begin to worry that we killed each other," Fuh Lung chuckled.  
  
Meiling nodded and held out her hand. Fuh Lung eyed it weirdly, not sure what she was doing.  
  
"Truce?" asked Meiling.  
  
"All right, truce!" Fuh Lung smiled and shook her hand.  
  
He then jumped onto the warhorse and motioned for Meiling to get on the mare. She nodded and complied.  
  
"If we ride there, we'll get there much faster."  
  
They went back to pick up their bundle of sticks and secured it onto the back of the black horse. Then they galloped at a medium pace toward Syaoran.  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Dusk was falling and still Syaoran waited anxiously for his friends to return. As the majestic sun began to set, the sky turned from a peaceful blue to a canvas streaked with beautiful and iridescent colors. Too busy worrying over Sakura; Syaoran couldn't enjoy the beauty of the sunset.  
  
"Syaoran, look," Sakura whispered, "isn't it beautiful?"  
  
"Oh, you're awake." he stated, "What's beautiful?" 'Besides you. . .' he thought. (a/n: ack. . . im startin to rite all mushy. . . ugh. . . -.-)  
  
"The sunset," she sighed as her eyes glazed over and stared at the heavenly sky.  
  
Before Syaoran could answer they were interrupted by a noise behind them. Syaoran's head jerked around immediately, inspecting the source of the noise. From behind the trees emerged Meiling and Fuh Lung on their horses. Syaoran sighed, relieved.  
  
"Where'd you guys get those horses?" inquired Syaoran, curious.  
  
"We found them," Meiling answered, causing her and Fuh Lung to remember the incident with the warhorse, which then made them blush slightly.  
  
"I see. . ."  
  
"So, where's Eriol?" questioned Fuh Lung, hoping to steer him off the subject.  
  
"I don't know. . ."  
  
*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*-*~*  
  
Eriol sprinted through the forest at lighting speed, looking for the herb that would save Sakura's life. In his haste, he failed to notice the root sticking out of the ground and tripped on it, causing him to stumble and fall. It was due to this landing that he spotted the small plant growing out of the ground; the herb he was looking for. He eagerly snatched it up and readjusted his glasses.  
  
A gust of wind blew past him as he picked himself up. What started out as a gentle breeze grew bigger and turned into a violent force of wind that nearly knocked him off his feet.  
  
Eriol held onto the herb tightly, careful not to let it go while he wrapped himself around a tree trunk to shield himself from the wind.  
  
A booming voice rang out behind him, causing him to twist around and come face to face with. . .  
  
I must b feelin nice.. lol. Ok.. so now Mei n Fuh r frens. Hahah. N u gotta c the sensitive side of the cold syao. ^^ welll.. I must not b feelin THAT nice cuz I left u a cliffy!! Mwhahahahah. 


End file.
